


Patron Saints

by kijilinn



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Relationships, Breeding Kink, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Drama, Family Relationships - Freeform, Fatherhood, Gen, Growing Up, Married Couple, Married Life, Married Sex, Master/Slave, Multi, Names, Parenthood, Pregnancy, a/b/o dynamics, sex slaves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 02:06:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16883574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kijilinn/pseuds/kijilinn
Summary: "Monsters are the patron saints of imperfection." --Guillermo del Toro





	1. Thanos - To Be a Father

A newborn’s cry is both terrifying and the most adorable thing on the planet. That shaking, helpless, desperate, rhythmic sobbing makes you ache with sympathy, even as your fight-or-flight reactions are triggering. At least some parents have the luxury of rolling over when that cry starts in the night, of telling their partner, “It’s your turn.”

Slowly, Thanos rolled to the side of the bed and put his head in his hands for a moment. He didn’t have to look at the chronograph to know it had been exactly two Centaurian planetary hours since he had last fallen asleep. “My child is mechanical,” he grumbled to himself as he pushed off from the bed and walked across to the pouch hanging from the wall. Sometimes he regretting stealing his child from her mother. And then he would look into her tiny screaming face, almost purple with breathless sobbing and still utterly tearless, stroke his finger over the stripe of red-purple fuzz that ran over her skull, hear her quiet at his touch and her little hands reaching blindly to grip at his skin. Regrets never survived his daughter’s questing touch.

He could hold her in the palm of one hand. She was so tiny, even by non-Titan standards. He had waited until she had peeked on her own, finally peering into the world over the edge of her mother’s pouch. He wished her mother had agreed to come with him. He knew Centaurian children did best if they stayed with their mothers until they were weaned. The skin-to-skin contact of early infancy in the pouch was important to their development. But she had cursed him and fought him, nearly killed herself in her desperation to keep her daughter in her arms.

Instead, Thanos found himself sleeping some nights flat on his back with a baby curled on his bare chest. He would wake up unable to move his neck, but she was still asleep, still stretching her tiny hands against his skin. He learned to clean her, feed her. He spent evenings reading everything he could find on Centaurian culture and childrearing while holding her to his chest with one hand. It seemed like she was never happy unless she could find his skin. She screamed and whistled and clicked madly if denied that physical contact. Hearing her unhappy made his chest ache and so he held her.

And he held her.

He read about a pouchless mother who fashioned a surrogate pouch with fabric and designed something that would fit him. Thanos stared at the straps and buckles stitched to the larger pouch. The original design had included openings on the skin-side so the baby could still nurse. He had planned to leave them out, but when he had held her in the mock-up before he finished, she had fussed at the lack of skin contact. He cut the windows in.

Nila. Her mother had named her Nila.

In so many ways, Thanos thought to rename her, to call her something that was unique to her relationship with him, to purge her mother from what they had. But her mother had named her Nila and she was Nila in his eyes.

After four weeks of carrying her in the pouch against his chest, he found he barely noticed her weight there unless it was gone. He felt her small hands working against his chest, finding his skin with little pats and grabs and pinches that were more sensation than irritation. He heard her small sounds, the soft clicks and mumbles as she practiced her word sounds to herself, the almost purring snore when she was asleep.

The most startling moments came when she woke up hungry. The one clearest in his memory had taken place when he was talking to Corvus and Proxima about plans for the upcoming operation and Nila had found his left nipple with her little questing mouth, tried to suckle and then began to wail and whistle in frustration. Mid-sentence, he had found himself trying to quiet the baby, to find the pouch of formula he had stashed in a belt pouch. When he looked up to find two of his generals watching him with twinned expressions of amusement, he had glared at them. “Just get it done,” he had snapped and turned away to feed his sobbing daughter.

She grew so fast. At three months old, she spent more time with her head poking out of the top of the pouch than she did snuggled inside it. He talked to her when she was like that and they were alone, told her about her mother and the world she had come from, the world he had come from and hoped to reclaim someday. Sometimes, his favorite times, she stood up in the pouch, pushed her little feet down to the bottom and reached her hands up, touched his face while he talked to her, patted her hands across his chin and cheeks, his nose if he leaned down. It was one of those times when she first smiled at him and he had felt that smile like the sun on his face.

He would never have admitted it to anyone but it was only with Nila that he felt truly not alone.

When Nila was six months old, she pulled herself up and out of her sleeping pouch, had tumbled head-first out and onto the floor of his bedroom to bounce and begin screaming. Thanos had come out of a sound sleep and was there, scooping her against him and checking her frantically for injury. She had sobbed until he had finally kissed her forehead, assured her that she was okay, that it was just a scare, a fall. At his voice, she had finally fallen silent again, hitching in little breathless gasps of fear until she quieted entirely and felt back to sleep in his arms. He slept curled around her on the bed that night, afraid to put her back in the pouch.

Afraid. It was a sensation he wasn’t used to. Thanos watched his daughter as she stretched her limbs, ate ravenously and grew and grew and grew. He held her hands while she tested her legs, bounced her on his knees as she figured out how to jump. He laughed with her when she was happy. He struggled to find a way to soothe her when she cried. He stared in awe when she managed her first phonemes in Common. The look of pain on her face made him wish he could speak Centaurian for her. And he feared for her. He feared she would hurt herself, fall prey to any of a million tiny illnesses, that she would find Proxima’s spear and play with it or interrupt a sparring match or have any kind of social interaction with Ebony Maw at all. As much as he trusted his Black Order, he could not stand the idea of the Maw toying with the mind of his daughter.

His daughter. Thanos tried not to think too much about his other daughters. Gamora and Nebula had gone out to do his bidding and while he had raised them as his own, there was something fundamentally different between his relationship with them and his relationship with Nila. Maybe it had to do with the age at which he had adopted them. Gamora and Nebula had been children with their own perceptions and levels of personality. Nila had been an infant, all needs and helpless cries. Nila had needed him, still needed him in ways Gamora and Nebula hadn’t and would never realize.

When she was eighteen months old, she pushed back against his arm when he scooped her up to pouch her. “No,” she said. “No pouch.”

Thanos stared at her and felt his heart shattering. “No pouch?” he asked her, trying not to let his heartbreak sound in his voice.

“No pouch,” she repeated and pushed on his arm again until he slowly lowered her back to the floor. “Walk.” She proceeded to march down the length of the bedroom toward the door. “I walk.”

Thanos watched her, swallowed hard at the lump in his throat and followed her. “Are you sure?” he asked and reached down to offer her his hand to steady her. She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest and kept marching. He spent the day trailing after her, unable to bring himself to stop her advancement or see to any other duty but watching his daughter assert herself on her world.

That night, Thanos paused in getting ready for bed and looked down at where Nila was staring fixedly at her sleeping pouch on the wall. “Ready?” he asked her softly.

“No pouch,” she said but there was a tremble in her voice. She had barely let him touch her all day and he could see how badly she was shaking. She had never been out of contact with him for so long in her life.

“No pouch,” he murmured and sat on the side of his bed. “Want a cuddle?”

“No.” She crossed her arms with that same stubborn flare and turned away from him, but Thanos smiled at the struggle in her voice.

“I want a cuddle,” he admitted in a low voice and she peeked at him over her shoulder. “You’re getting so big, Nila. I’m so proud of you.”

Nila studied him with round eyes for a few more seconds, then all but threw herself into his arms. Thanos sighed and rolled back onto the bed, hugging her to his chest and letting the tension out of his chest when she squirmed to put her face and hands on his skin again. “Love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back.


	2. Ebony Nights - Part One

He hadn't expected to hear a voice above the crowd. There were always voices raised when he gave his sermons. He was used to that. But this time, a voice carried over the background noise of screams and sobbing pleas for mercy: "Praise Thanos." Someone near the origin of the voice cursed sharply and the same voice gasped in pain. 

Ebony Maw turned toward the sounds and focused down into the crowd of writhing, struggling people. It was another of the Xandarian-settled worlds, a blended melting pot of races tangled together and choking each other out for the planet's limited resources. They were little better than any other society in the galaxy. "There," he said quietly and pointed. The guards swept into the crowd, shoving the throng aside until there was a little clearing around a knot of people. One was clearly Xandarian: her fair skin was stained by the dark blue blood sliding down from her hairline where the Krylorian man beside her had struck her. The man and another, this one a race whose name didn't immediately come to Maw's mind stood slightly back from the guards, looking from them to the woman in alarm. Maw descended the steps until he was at the street level and reached to cup his hand under the woman's chin. "What is your name, child?"

"Griega," she said and tried to bow her head, only to have him jerk it back up. "Griega Vinnasdotr."

"Tell me what you said just now."

Griega licked her lips but her eyes didn't waver from his face when she said, "Praise Thanos."

Maw let a slow smile curl his lips. "Are you a true believer?" he murmured and one of his blades drifted up to draw a line of cold fire along her throat, immediately leaving a whitened scratch behind that wept a little more blue-black blood. "Do you believe in the cause or do you simply wish to be spared from it?" 

"Praise Thanos," she repeated, louder this time and a ripple of angry, frightened babble followed her proclamation. "I surrender myself to Death's judgement."

"I think I like her." Thanos came down the steps to stand just behind Maw, his arms crossed over his chest. "What do you think, my son? Shall we keep her for a pet?"

Maw studied her face for a long moment and considered his own reactions to her. "Not a pet, my lord," he murmured softly and Thanos blinked, tilted his head and smiled. "I would like to keep her, though."

"As a reward for service," Thanos said and turned away to return to the process of sorting the population. 

Maw ran his thumb along the line of Griega's blood, then lifted the smear to his nostrils to sniff and licked his thumb clean. "I would hear you praise me," he growled at her, just barely above a whisper. To his warm amusement, her pupils dilated and she swallowed hard. "Would you like that?"

"Yes, lord," she breathed. 

"Good." Maw withdrew his blade from threatening her throat and he drew one with a proper handle from the inner folds of his robe before offering it to her. "Come, then. Accompany me. Serve me." She took the knife, studied it for a moment, then flipped it a few times comfortably in her hand and settled it with the blade along her forearm. His prize could defend herself. Even better. Maw took brief note of his own lust stirring at the thought, then pushed it away and returned to pacing the lines of people, studying those for survival and those for mercy.

Griega followed at his heels, her head up and her eyes alert. Maw felt safer already.

* * *

Griega hovered. She kept her eyes closed, her muscles slack as she hovered where he had placed her. She waited on his pleasure, as in all things. She would praise and serve Thanos and his cause, but she would worship only at the Maw's feet. 

The air in the room shifted and Griega silently tracked where he might be in the chamber. After a moment, she felt her belt loosening and her pants sliding down her legs, her vest unbuttoning and her undershirt riding up over her breasts. "Speak to me," Maw said, his voice distant and removed from her, probably on the other side of the room. "Tell me of your day."

"Lord," she started and then stopped when pressure lifted between her legs to press against her panties. It wasn't his hand though it was roughly shaped the same, simply the pressure of his telekinesis.

"Familiarly," Maw said. This time, there was real affection in his voice and Griega felt herself lowering to the floor. When the stone tiles were under her bare feet again and his power ceased to hold her up, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Come here," he whispered and held out his arms as she rushed to hug him. They stood like that for a while, simply wrapped in each other's arms while everything else faded to the background. "I brought you coffee," he murmured.

"You spoil me," Griega grinned up at him and Maw smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. "I missed you," she added in a hushed tone against his lips. 

"And I, you," he whispered back. He ran his long fingers through her loose waves, pausing once when a ring caught on the soft strands. "My apologies," he murmured as he removed the ring from her hair, then from his finger entirely along with the rest of his jewelry. He dropped the rings into a tray beside where she had been hovering, then cupped his bare hands against her neck under her hair, holding her close. "I was gone far too long."

"Twelve hours is entirely too long," Griega agreed with a playful grin and stood on her toes to chase his mouth. He grinned and dodged her, easily standing out of her reach. Griega huffed and pulled on the lapels of his robe, dragging him back down. "Meanie. Come here."

"Such orders she gives me!" Maw laughed and submitted to being pulled to her mouth, holding her close again as he kissed her. "Dearest, I am still waiting," he added, running his thumb along her throat. 

"My day," Griega chuckled and closed her eyes as he continued to stroke her throat. "My day was spent in silent contemplation and anticipation of your return. Except for the nap I took for about an hour."

"How dare you!" Maw kissed her nose and let her go before shedding his outer robe and looking through the closet for something more comfortable. "Napping while on duty."

"Silent contemplation and anticipation duty gets tiring," she snorted. Griega glanced down at her mixed state of undress and asked, "Would you prefer me naked or clothed, my love?"

"However you are comfortable, my dear," Maw replied from the depths of the closet.  He hung up the robe and slipped another, softer one over his head and arms. When he turned around, he paused with a considering noise in his throat and a smile curled his lips when he saw that Griega had stripped down to her panties and bra. "You did miss me," he murmured and collected her for another kiss. 

"I always miss you," she whispered back. 

"You are the single best thing I have ever received from a mission," Maw smiled. He brushed his fingers along her jaw and his expression shifted slightly. Griega tilted her head, curious. "Do you truly love me?"

"I do."

He leaned and kissed her while Griega wrapped her arms around his neck and arched her back to press herself close to him. "And if I were to ask you to stay? If I offered you freedom and mobility and all you could want to explore the galaxy, would you leave me?"

Griega pulled back just enough to study him, her dark eyes searching his solemn face. "Maw," she whispered, "I love you. I would not leave you unless you sent me away. Even then, I would do it only with pain and grief."

"For how long?" he asked, his eyes half-closed and his gaze off to the side. Griega could feel him shaking a little under her hands and kissed him again, seeking to soothe him. "How long would you stay?"

"Forever," she whispered. "My life is with you."

"If I were to arm you, train you, ask that you come with me..." Maw paused and swallowed hard, then continued, "If I asked you to be to me what Proxima and Corvus are to each other..."

Griega kissed him fiercely, her fingers spanned across the back of his neck. "Yes," she whispered and beamed when he laughed a little, swaying with her in his arms. "Yes, I will marry you. I will be your partner and defender until the end of my life, Maw."

Maw clung to her and let out a faint, trembling laugh. "I love you, Griega," he whispered against her skin. "I wish my life to be bound to yours." He paused and nuzzled her neck before adding, "I wish to have children with you, to have you by my side in all dangers. I hope to grow old with you in a world blessed by my father."

"Children?" Griega asked. Maw opened his mouth to take it back but saw the tears of joy in her eyes. "You want children?"

He grinned and nodded, resting his forehead against hers. "I do. Do you?"

"I have always wanted children," she whispered. "I thought you would...I would have given up that dream to be with you and now... you want children. It's more than I could have ever hoped for, my love."

Maw scooped her against his chest and spun her in a circle before kissing her deeply and fiercely. "Then be mine, Griega. Be my lover and my mate and my partner and the mother of my children. All of these things."

"Yes," Griega whispered and wound her legs around his waist, clinging to him and kissing him. "Until the end of my days."

"May they be many and glorious," Maw chuckled and swung her toward the bed. "As glorious as our children," he added and kissed her.

* * *

Maw woke slowly and stretched on hand out until he found Griega's back. He smiled, rolled closer to her and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. She stirred with a soft mumbled moan, then flopped onto her back to grin lazily up at him. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Good mornings are always made better beside you," he murmured, stroking her cheek. 

"Flatterer," Griega smiled. She reached to pull him down against her and kissed him slowly, enjoying the way he melted against her. 

Maw made a soft, considering sound in his throat and Griega gasped when he moved against her, his overnight erection recovering to something more conscious. "And better is complimented by being inside you," he whispered against her neck. His lips skimmed her skin and then he licked just behind her ear with a low growl. "You smell ready," he breathed. 

"The timing seems close enough to be right," she whispered back, trying to disguise the hunger in her voice when she arched her back. "Though I'm always ready for you."

"Now who's flattering," Maw groaned in her ear and shifted his hips to press closer. "Your skin smells like sweetness and desire, my love." Griega gasped and giggled, then hooked one leg around his hip while he traced the edge of her ear with the tip of his tongue. "You taste like hope and hunger and fertile ground."

"Are you saying I taste like dirt?"

"Filthy," he growled and probed into her with a low groan in his throat. "Such heat, darling."

"I told you," she purred and nipped at his skin. "I'm always ready for you." Griega shifted her hips and arched her back, pressing closer so that when Maw stroked toward her again, his erection slid deeper than he had intended. They both groaned at the sensations and his hips snapped forward hungrily. "Yes," she whispered. 

"Not yet," Maw huffed and kissed her neck before drawing back. "So greedy."

"Greedy," Griega murmured and writhed under him, lifting her hips and begging for his skin against hers again. "Yes, I'll admit to that. I am greedy for you." When Maw held back and studied her with a smirk, she whined and squirmed. "Please, my love. Please."

He snorted and slipped back down to her, his erection finding the wetness of her pussy easily and slipping deep without hesitation. "On one condition," he groaned as he started to stroke repeatedly into her. Breathless and panting, Griega nodded her agreement before he added, "We will take our time next time. I wish to hear your desperate moans and your pleading for longer than this."

"Next time," Griega agreed and wrapped her legs around him to pull him deeper. Maw groaned and allowed himself to move freely, his hips rocking her back against the sheets rhythmically until they were both panting. "You fill me, my lord," she whispered in his ear and grinned when he grunted, his thrusts speeding up. "My love," she added and kissed his neck and shoulder. "Fill me with you. Fill me up."

Maw groaned and one hand slid under her lower back, lifting her hips higher as he rutted into her. "Open for me," he whispered. 

"Field to the plow," she moaned, her head back against the pillow. "Yes, Maw. Please." His strokes stuttered briefly before he growled with more force and stroked deeper. "Yes!" she yelped. "I need you, my lord. Please!" 

"As I need you," he whispered in her ear and snapped his hips forward twice more before emptying himself into her with a spiraling groan. He held very still, then nosed against Griega's skin, waiting for her movement, her words to direct him. When she panted and squirmed, he stroked eagerly into her again until she was panting and all but screaming his name. She came with a sudden yelp, her wetness clamped hard around his cock and her fingers tangled in his thin hair. "My love," he murmured as she relaxed back to the pillow. 

"I'm done," she assured him breathlessly and grinned when he kissed her. "For now."

Maw smiled and kissed her chin, her lips, her nose, her forehead. "For now," he agreed softly. He slipped free of her body and they settled beside each other, fingers seeking and entwining together. He pulled her hands to his lips and kissed them with his eyes closed. "I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you." Griega snuggled close to him and let out a long sigh, drifting comfortably into the fog of afterglow.


	3. The Morning After

Gamora answered the baby's howling, chirping cries for breakfast with a puzzled expression on her face. She was used to Thanos insisting on taking care of Nila's needs himself and to have her crying for this long in the morning was unusual. She scooped her adopted sister out of the sleeping pouch and headed for the kitchen, shushing her and bouncing her gently until Nila had settled into fussy sniffling. 

 

When she walked into the kitchen/mess area, Gamora paused and said, "Ah." Cull was hunkered at the undersized table, a mug of coffee in his hands and his eyes barely opened past slits. Even Gamora's quietly uttered monosyllable made him wince and grumble. "Big night?" she asked him.

 

"Too loud," he grunted in return and stood up to take his coffee and his hangover somewhere else.

 

"Where's Dad?" she called after him.

 

"Too loud," Cull repeated with more of a whine in his voice than before and was down down the hallway before Gamora could interrogate him further. 

 

More amused than annoyed, Gamora settled Nila on her hip while she took the prepared formula out of the refrigeration unit and started warming it up. Movement drew her attention and she watched a mug of coffee pour itself from the carafe and drift back out the door. "There's the Maw," she murmured with a grin and looked down at Nila. "I can't wait until you're old enough to enjoy these mornings with me, little sister."

 

"There's my baby!" Proxima Midnight breezed into the kitchen and collected Nila before Gamora could protest. "Such a sweet baby." She bounced her a few times, then looked at Gamora. "Thanos sleeping in?"

 

"I have no idea," Gamora replied with a smirk as she tested the formula and handed the bottle to Proxima. "I just know she was screaming like the world was ending and I didn't see him anywhere." When Nila's little blue hands were wrapped around the bottle and her eyes had sunk closed in satisfaction, Gamora smiled and stroked her fingertips along the little girl's crest. "I didn't think he ever left her alone."

 

"She was asleep when we started last night," Proxima said as she fed Nila. "I'm pretty sure he wasn't thinking about much by the time he went to bed."

 

"What was the occasion?"

 

Proxima opened her mouth, then closed it with a click of her teeth. "That is an excellent question."

 

"Do you think Corvus remembers?"

 

Something crashed behind them and Proxima grinned. "I doubt it." Gamora turned around to see Proxima's husband half-in and half-out of the refrigeration unit, his arms full of plastic-wrapped food and a broken bottle of milk at his feet. He looked sheepish and sleepy, his eyes red-rimmed and slow to blink. "Mornings after tend to be pretty hazy for him," Proxima added. 

 

"Hazy," chuckled Corvus as he stepped around the broken glass and spilled milk. Now that he was closer, Gamora could smell the smoke on him and spotted the rolled blunt behind his ear. He offered her a long bundle of plastic-wrapped bread. "Submarine for the aquamarine?"

 

"Green," said Proxima. "The color you're looking for is green, dear."

 

"She's more aqua, though," Corvus protested, waving a finger in Gamora's general direction. "Does green rhyme with submarine?"

 

"Slant rhyme," his wife said and checked the bottle to see how Nila was doing. "Another ounce. Such a hungry girl!" Corvus settled at the table and started tearing into the food, still mumbling half-rhymes for green to himself. 

 

"I have to do everything, "Gamora sighed and took a towel over to the spilled milk to clean it up.

 

She glanced up when Thanos's heavy tread carried him past the doorway and toward the coffee pot. "Good morning, daughter," he said. 

 

"Good morning, father," she replied, her head tilted as she watched him. "Nila was crying. Didn't you hear her?"

 

"Mmm." Thanos poured a mug of coffee, then swirled what was left in the carafe with a considered look on his face before he tipped his head back and poured the rest directly into his mouth. He swallowed and set the carafe back on the warmer before drinking from his mug and turning away again. 

 

"Father?" Gamora repeated and he stopped. "Did you hear me?"

 

"Of course," he replied.

 

"And Nila?"

 

Thanos's face split into an affectionate grin. "She is wonderful, isn't she?" Before anyone could answer, he walked out of the kitchen again. 

 

"Autopilot," grinned Proxima. "He'll wake up in a few hours."

 

A solid THUD resonated from the hallway and Gamora and Proxima went to check. Thanos had fallen face-down on the floor and was snoring softly, one arm stretched out ahead of him to keep from spilling the coffee. "Well, that explains why I couldn't find him this morning," Gamora sighed. "He's probably been wandering all over the compound like that all night."

 

"Our fearless leader does not hold his alcohol well," Proxima said with a thoughtful nod. In her arms, Nila hiccuped and she shifted the baby in her arms. "Burpies!" she cooed and went back into the kitchen to sit across from her husband while Gamora continued to shake her head in exasperation.


	4. Ebony Nights - Part Two

Maw ran his hands over Griega's hips, drawing her back against him as he glided deeper. He smiled as his wife moaned softly, her face buried in a pillow and her arms stretched in front of her, fingers wrapped around the metal of the headboard. He paused with his hands splayed along her rib cage, his thumbs tracing her skin. "So beautiful," he murmured as he bent closer to her back and thrust into her again. Maw slipped one hand down under her and pressed his palm over her belly. They had been actively trying to plant a baby in her belly for almost three months, three of her fertile cycles without success. Still, the draw of her body brought him back regardless of her fertility. "You've bewitched me," he whispered in her ear. "Foul temptress. I had things to do today."

"Yes," Griega agreed breathlessly and leaned back against him, eager to drive him deeper. "Me."

Maw chuckled and nibbled the edge of her ear. "Naughty."

"Gonna do something about it?" she purred and swung her hips. 

"Mmm." Maw considered with a soft grunt when she thrust back onto him again. When she rocked back again, he spanked her firmly across the top of her rounded ass cheeks. She yelped and moaned, her arms stretching out in front of her and pressing her breasts down to the sheets. He grinned at her and leaned back to give himself more space between them before slapping her ass again. Her voice came back to him, warm and longing. "Do you like that, my queen?" he murmured. 

"Yes, lord," she moaned and arched her back to lift her hips higher. "More, please."

Maw withdrew from her and Griega made a fussy, irritated sound in her throat before she gasped and moaned again at another slap across her skin. This time, Maw didn't pause to check; he spanked her three times in quick succession, then paused to stroke his hand over her ass. When she rolled her hips back to give him a better angle on her ass, he chuckled and spanked where he knew she loved it best, right across the lower curve of her cheeks and just above where her thighs began. He kept going until his hand ached and her skin had gone red, then paused to kiss the curve of her lower back. "Enough?" he asked her in a husky whisper. 

"Only if you're gonna fuck me now," she mumbled into the pillow. 

Maw grinned, his erection throbbing hungrily. "Not quite yet," he said, as much to himself as to her and slapped her ass again so she rocked forward with a moan. After several more, she cried out with a different tone in her voice and Maw paused with his hand circling slowly on her skin. "Too much?"

"Enough," she replied. "Any more and it'll stop being fun." 

He nodded and bent over her again, letting his erection lie against her ass as he pressed his chest to her back and curled one arm around her middle. "I love you," he whispered against her neck and Griega sighed with contentment in her voice. 

"I love you, too," she whispered back. 

"Need you anything?"

Griega's hips lifted up and back to press into him and Maw grunted softly at the pressure on his cock. "Only you," she breathed. With a simple movement, he slipped himself free of their bodies and then tucked back between her legs, his hardened length gliding into her while she moaned. "Yes," she gasped when their skin was flush again. "I'm yours."

Maw balanced on one arm to stroke his hand over her belly, then up and over her breasts, curled his arm under her shoulder and drew her back so he could kiss her neck. "As I am yours," he whispered in her ear and stroked into her. Griega gasped again and reared up onto her knees so Maw could wrap both arms around her and hold her tightly to his chest. He smiled against her skin as he stroked into her again, caressing her breast with one hand and letting the other drop down to tease between her thighs. "Come for me," he whispered. "Let me hear your pleasure, wife." 

Griega whimpered softly with her head back against his shoulder. "Oh, please," she breathed and he rolled one nipple between thumb and forefinger. She arched her back and moaned, pressing closer to his hand until he cupped it over first one breast and then the other. "Maw," she panted and her hips twitched sharply back when his fingertips found her clit. "Yes, yes, please." 

"Beg for me," he hissed against her skin and hiked her back a little higher against his body, his hips moving with more roughness. "Tell me what you want."

"You," Griega moaned and shivered when he laughed. "Only you, my lord."

"Lies," he whispered. He flicked the tip of his finger along the side of her clitoris so that she twitched again and he could rut deeper into her. "Tell me what you want."

"Fuck me," she groaned. "Please, Lord. Fuck me hard."

"It's a start. What else?" He pinched her nipple and Griega cried out, tossing her head back. 

"Fill me," she panted. "Fuck me and fill me with your cum."

"There we go," he groaned and bent her forward again until her hands dropped to the bed and she rolled her hips back to let him stroke deeper. "Tell me. Beg for me, wife." 

"Fill me with your cum, lord," Griega groaned as they started to rock and the bed began to bump more solidly against the wall. "Make me swell. Drive me wild with hunger and take me as you want me." Her husband's answer was inarticulate this time, a long growl close to her ear that made her gasp on heady laughter. "Put a baby in me," she finally whispered and Maw's hips snapped forward sharply. "Please, Maw. Please."

"I will," he moaned in her ear and then bucked with a grunt. "Soon. Fuck." His breathing came hard and hot on her neck and he stroked one hand over her throat and down her chest. "Griega. My love."

"Take me," she begged and let the barest hint of a whine into her voice that she knew drove him wild. "I'm ready. I'm yours." He grunted again, his face scrunched tightly as he strained in her, driving himself forward as the bed increased its banging. When he bucked and his head went back with a low growl, Griega let herself come with him, spasming around his pumping cock and they collapsed together in a tangle of limbs. 

"Never have I known satisfaction like this," Maw groaned as he rolled onto his back. He rubbed his hands over his face with another low, rumbling growl. "You truly have bewitched me, woman. I can't stop thinking about your body, your voice, the smell of your skin." He draped one arm over his forehead to look at her where she had settled beside him with her chin on his chest. "My lust for you is constant." 

"At least I know you'll come back to me," Griega smiled and slid her hand over his chest. 

"I will always return to you," Maw whispered and drew her close to kiss her. "Have you considered my offer?" he murmured, stroking his fingers through her hair.

Griega nodded. "I would welcome the activity, to be honest. I was a soldier on my own world. I'm not much good at being a contented concubine." 

"I spoke with Proxima and she was amenable to training you in some of our techniques and with our weapons." Maw tangled his fingers in her hair with a soft sound in his throat, his lips curling in a smile. "So soft," he whispered as he fisted the strands around his hand. "So perfectly matched to you."

"I should hope so," Griega grinned back and leaned her head against his hand. "I did grow it, after all." Maw leaned up to kiss her again and they savored the moment with soft touches and little sounds. "Have you asked about... um..."

"Thanos was agreeable," Maw said and nuzzled against her face. "It has taken much to disengage him from the child, but even he seems to have decided he needs some time away from her. With Gamora and Nebula away, he seemed intrigued by the idea of having you care for Nila."

"It would be an honor and a delight," Griega admitted. "I'm not exactly immune to her charms and every time I hold her, I... I think about--"

"I know," he whispered and kissed her. "While she is enchanting, ours will be irresistible." His eyes glittered and stroked the backs of his fingers down her cheek. "I look forward to meeting our children, my love."

"So do I," Griega sighed and let her eyes drop closed. She snuggled into his arms and Maw kissed her forehead, her closed eyes, her nose as they settled back into the blankets and pillows. "Do you have time for a nap?" she murmured hopefully.

"Yes," Maw smiled and drew the blanket up over them both. "A few hours remain before I must go. I look forward to your coming with me. Having you by my side will soothe my heart."

Griega smiled as she snuggled down into the pillow. "Mine, too, my lord."

* * *

Thanos knelt in front of his daughter, trying not to fuss over the loose shirt that wrapped over her chest and around her lower back. "Griega will take good care of you," he informed her without meeting the child's red-brown eyes. "She will care for you until we return."

After a second, Nila patted at his hands so he would stop adjusting the shirt, then put her little hands on his cheeks, drawing her father's face back to her own. "I okay, Daddy," she said seriously. "I safe. You go, do stuff, come home and we play. Okay?" 

Thanos sighed and nodded. "Okay." He stood up slowly, letting one finger stay close to her hand as long as she would hold onto it. "You will attend Griega? You will not make trouble?"

Nila's smile was mischievous and dangerous and Thanos glared at her until she grinned. "Yes, Daddy."

Staring down at her familiar smile, Thanos let out a long sigh, then scooped her up to hug her tightly. "Be my good girl, Nila," he whispered. "I love you."

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she snuggled against him. "I love you, too, Daddy." After a second, she squirmed uncomfortably. "Down," she whispered. "Wanna run."

"Don't run," Thanos chided as he put her back on her feet. "Be careful. Walk in the halls." Nila nodded absently and waved at him before darting down the hall and away. "Walk!" he shouted after her. 

A low chuckle behind him made the Titan turn and he found Ebony Maw and his wife, Griega standing nearby. "She listens well," Griega observed with a smirk. "Just like every other three-year-old I've ever known."

Thanos paused to consider the Xandarian. He remembered when he had agreed to allow Maw to take her as his bounty from one mission. He remembered the progression of their relationship from master/slave to lovers to a loving couple. He had watched it happen with puzzlement, but now that he had seen her moving about the compound more freely and witnessed her training bouts with Proxima and Cull, he couldn't very well imagine a better partner for the Maw. They were incredibly well-suited and her influence seemed to have curbed some of Maw's more worrisome social torture preferences. He had been considering allowing Nila to take lessons from Maw, perhaps in a few years. "Have you known many three-year-olds, Griega?"

"Yes, my lord," she said and inclined her head respectfully. "Both of my sisters had children and I spent some time as nursery guard during my tenure." 

He nodded thoughtfully. "I leave her in your hands, then." He glanced at Maw and swallowed a smile at the adoring look his herald was giving his wife. "Maw," he said as a gentle prod. "We leave soon."

"Of course, my lord," Maw said without looking away from Griega. "I will be ready."

Thanos nodded once, waited for a beat, then cleared his throat. "Now, my son." Maw jumped and looked embarrassed before he leaned down quickly to kiss Griega and whisper his goodbyes while she giggled at him. When Maw was gone, he paused to say to Griega, "She can be delightful, but she has the mischief of all the stars in her."

"I've seen," Griega chuckled. 

"She doesn't like anything pressing on her crest," Thanos added, miming the red-orange crest that ran over her skull and down her back. "Try to keep her clothed. I know she doesn't like shirts, but--"

"My lord, I know." Griega's eyes sparkled and she waved her hands at Thanos. "I have lived here almost two years. I am aware of your daughter's proclivities." 

Thanos blinked. "Two years... truly?" When Griega nodded, he looked thoughtful. "I had not realized so much time had passed." His communicator chirped and Thanos glared at it before nodding to Griega. "We should return in but a few days. Contact me if you require anything."

"Of course, my lord."

Thanos nodded to her and turned away, then stopped and turned back urgently. "She only gets a single cookie before bed."

"Go, my lord!" Griega laughed and waved her hands at him again. "Shoo! We will be fine." She was still chuckling when Thanos's ship took off from the bay, bearing her lord and her husband away.


	5. Thanos - To Be a Daddy

Nila was almost three the first time she discovered she had sisters. Gamora was of less interest than Nebula, with her blue skin. The little girl rushed to stand at Nebula's feet, staring up at her with wide, red-brown eyes. "Up!" she demanded immediately, her arms thrown over her head while Nebula's head snapped back in mixed horror and revulsion. When Nebula tried to step away, Nila followed her with a little bounce. "Up! Up, please!" 

"You had better pick her up, daughter," Thanos rumbled with a smile. "She likes you."

"I am not your nanny," Nebula snapped at him, but reached down and collected the little Centaurian anyway. Nila and Nebula studied each other at eye level. Small hands traced the seams of metal and skin, stared into mismatched mechanical and natural eyes. "What world did you steal her from?" Nebula asked her father.

"Alpha Centauri," Thanos answered and took another bite of the sandwich he had finished making for himself. Even Titans get hungry. "I asked her mother to accompany us, but she refused."

"More than you ever did for my mother," Nebula hissed.

"Your mother was already dead when I adopted you," Thanos replied without looking at her. "Besides, you were not my child. I had no connection to your mother."

"She..." Nebula paused and looked over her shoulder to where Proxima was poking through the cupboard, apparently searching for her own lunch. "Nila is your daughter? Your blood daughter?" When Thanos nodded, Nebula looked back down into the little blue face turned up to hers. "Such a prize I never knew existed."

Thanos shook his head with a low chuckle. "I have many blood children, daughter. She is just the only one I took an interest in." He crossed the pantry and reached to collect Nila from her sister's arms. The little girl fussed, but only in a brief, habitual way before settling back against Thanos's neck, one hand flattened against his skin. "She reminds me of... someone I knew once." 

"I would never have believed you a romantic," Nebula snorted and Thanos shrugged with a smile.

Thanos never truly thought there would be conflict between his daughters. He was disappointed to learn the truth when he found Gamora and Nebula in heated hand-to-hand while Nila cowered in the corner of the hallway, sobbing into her knuckles. When he bellowed his displeasure, the two women had frozen, glaring at each other, and Nila had sprinted across the space to leap up into his arms. "What is the meaning of this?" he snapped. 

"It's nothing, father," Gamora said and she stood up straight, pushing her hair back from her face and sheathing her sword. "A sibling disagreement."

"With your sister sobbing in terror?" he growled at her and Gamora looked away.

Nebula walked closer to Thanos and Nila turned in his arms, reaching for her. "Gamora takes issue with the time Nila and I have been spending together," she said in a low voice. Nila wrapped her arms around Nebula's neck and clung to her. Except for the size difference, Thanos noticed with a pang that resembled jealousy that Nila clung to Nebula the same way she did to him. 

"I just don't understand why you're wasting time training her--"

Thanos's attention snapped to Nebula's face. "You've been training her?"

The skin of Nebula's face paled slightly, just enough to be seen in contrast to the blue metal of the implants. "Just basic self-defense, father," she said. "I wouldn't want her to be helpless if something happened." 

"What need would she have for self-defense?" he growled back.

Gamora and Nebula glanced at each other and Thanos was surprised to see the understanding between them. "I assume she will enter the world at some point," Gamora said. "You wouldn't keep her locked up here forever." Thanos stared at her without comprehension and she sighed. "Father, little girls grow up. You know that."

Thanos looked at where Nila had her face tucked against Nebula's shoulder, one thumb in her mouth while she wrapped the other arm around the back of her sister's neck. She would grow up. He knew it was true and it hurt him like an arrow in the chest. Instantly, his skin ached to feel the warmth of her little body leaned against him and he reached toward Nebula to take her back. At first, Nila shied away, apparently content where she was but when she saw the look on his face, she reached one arm so he could take her. She kept her thumb firmly planted in her mouth. "Of course I know that," he whispered and ran his thumb up and over Nila's crest, watching her eyes close at the soothing gesture. "She's still so little, though."

"She's no younger than I was when my family died," Gamora pointed out. "You gave me a knife then."

Thanos opened his mouth and closed it again with a sigh. "Very well. Teach her, then. I would rather she defend herself than remain craven and cowering in the face of danger." He cradled her against his shoulder and shot Nebula a warning glare. "But later. She has seen enough violence for one day, I think."

Gamora choked on her disbelieving laughter. Thanos ignored her.

He had never fathomed the problems of Centaurian wardrobe before. When Nila was still a babe in arms, she had been content to be swaddled in whatever fabric or clothing Thanos had chosen to drape over her skin. As she grew and became more self-mobile, her crest also became more defined and less flaccid. She began refusing to wear shirts when he tried to dress her and Thanos eventually gave up, allowing her to wear as much or as little clothing as pleased her. As a result, most of the Black Order had gotten used to a half-naked child wandering the halls of Sanctuary. She would wear pants or skirts, but she seldom deigned to wear a shirt or anything that pressed over the back of her neck or down the length of her spine. 

"You're going to regret letting her get used to that," Proxima commented one afternoon when Nila sprinted past the common lounge in nothing but a loincloth. "She's going to have to wear shirts eventually."

"And why should she?" Thanos replied without looking up from the report he was reading. 

"She is going to have breasts someday."

Thanos snorted and raised his eyebrows at his general, who returned the look with a small smile. "I fail to see the relevance," he remarked.

"Shirts," Proxima said and indicated her own. "They do tend to cover the breasts fairly neatly. It makes for a tidier social interaction with members of species with a gender binary."

"Her chest is completely covered now," Thanos said. Nila sprinted back the other way down the hallway and he called after her, "Walk, child! Walk!"

"I have seen the way Centaurian women wear clothing," Proxima reminded him with a gentle tone in her voice. "Off-planet, they do cover above the waist."

"She says it hurts." Thanos squirmed in his seat and looked back down at his report so he wouldn't have to make eye contact with Proxima. "I don't see why it's necessary, especially if it causes her discomfort."

"My lord," Proxima sighed and reached to pat his forearm, "personal discomfort for others' social comfort is sort of what being a woman is about. Best she learns how to do that before she meets the rest of the galaxy, especially those with codified sexual behaviors associated with a woman's state of undress." When Thanos refused to look at her, she added, "You do her a disservice by teaching her that she's on an equal social footing with male-coded entities, my lord. She will find out differently and when she does, it may be more than emotionally damaging. It could mean her life in some places."

"I see no reason she shouldn't be equal to any male," snorted Thanos and Proxima sighed and rolled her eyes. 

"I didn't say she isn't equal," Proxima clarified. "I said on equal social footing. I am equal to any of my male counterparts and have earned my place among them, but do you remember how long it took me to earn that place?" Thanos tilted his head at her and Proxima smiled. "I could not fail. Not even once. A woman fails in a field where men are seen to be stronger and she proves the rule. There is pressure toward perfection as a woman in a man's world and the whole galaxy belongs to men."

Thanos watched as Nila peeped around the doorway of the lounge to grin at him, her face full of glee before she vanished again with an echoing giggle. "I would have the galaxy belong to her," he sighed. 

"If you were to tie the galaxy in a bow and present it to her, it would still not belong to her," Proxima said. "It would belong to you." When Thanos gave her a despairing look, she smiled. "No amount of wishing will change how the galaxy is structured, my lord. Women will always have a harder time at success than men. Unless they live somewhere like Alpha Centauri."

"That's right," Thanos murmured. "Centaurians are ruled by their women, aren't they? Something about their men being more irrational and impulsive while the women are more level-headed and better at strategy."

"Their men are no more irrational and impulsive than any other species' men," Proxima smiled. "It's just that the women have been allowed to write the narrative that best benefits their holding power."

A shrieked giggle in the hallway drew their attention and Thanos looked up just in time to see Corvus rolling backward past the doorway, pursued by Nila with her hands in tickle formation. He paused long enough to grin at his wife, then scrambled away at a rate the little girl could keep up with. "The tickle monster is coming!" his voice echoed back to them. "Run for your lives!"

"Of course," Proxima grinned, "she already rules here. I don't see why she couldn't rule a wider variety of people."

"She has been good for morale," Thanos observed and settled back in his chair.


	6. Ebony Nights - Part Three

Griega walked through the hallways of Sanctuary. She didn't bother to hide herself nor disguise her location. She kept her head up and her eyes open until she spotted what she was looking for: the sliver of blue peeking around the edge of the doorway that vanished as soon as she turned. "Nila," Griega called as if she hadn't seen the girl. "Baby, where are you?" She walked past the doorway where Nila was hiding and called again, "Nila, honey, it's dinner time."

Movement behind her made Griega pause in the center of the hallway and tilt her head with a smile. She waited a moment and Nila said, "Dinner?"

"Yes, baby," Griega grinned as she turned to face the little girl. "Do you want something to eat? You can help me make it if you want." Nila edged down the hall for a second, then turned and sprinted away with another giggle. "Nila," Griega sighed in mingled affection and frustration. "For Nova's sake, would you just come get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Catch me!" Nila cried over her shoulder and vanished down another hallway. 

Griega sighed and dropped her palms against her thighs with a slap. "Fine. If you insist." She took off her heavy boots and set them against the wall, peeled off her stockings and stuffed them inside, then bounced on the balls of her feet. "Ready or not, here I come!" When Nila squealed in delight, Griega grinned and started to run.

She had always loved to run. Wild and barefoot and free, she had chased her sisters and her cousins through the woods and along the beach when they were growing up. She had done the same with her nieces and nephews, the children of her cousins. She had looked forward to the chance to run with her own children and the thought made Griega grin fiercely. Soon, she would be able to. Soon. She dove and rolled around a corner, caught Nila around the waist as the little girl was trying to dodge away, and growled at her, fingers tickling and arms hugging. "Gotcha!"

"Nooo!" squealed Nila and she thrashed and giggled in Griega's arms until they both collapsed against the floor, panting. 

"Come eat?" panted Griega.

"What's dinner?" Nila asked, just as breathless.

"Peas and pressed protein beans."

"Blech."

Griega rolled to a sitting position, still holding Nila against her chest. "Blech? Blech? I slaved over a hot replicator for you! And you treat me this way? You'll make me cry." She mocked a sniffle and batted her eyes at Nila. "Boo hoo."

"Aww." Nila sat up in her lap and patted her face with her small hands. "No cry, Gree. No cry! I eat. Mmmmm, yummy protein mush."

Griega grinned and kissed her nose. "I promise, it won't taste like protein mush. Have I ever lied to you?" Nila shook her head and slipped her fingers into Griega's as the older woman stood up. "Protein beans take the flavor of whatever they're cooked with and the peas are just for color. My mother used to make something like this for us when I was little and I loved it." When they got to the kitchen, Griega scooped Nila up and put her in a chair beside the table with another kiss on her nose. "I hope you like it, too."

Nila wiggled in her seat and watched eagerly as Griega spooned chunks of pressed protein in sauce into a bowl, then added a helping of cooked grain and stirred it together. She put the bowl in front of Nila and gave her a spoon. When Griega had fixed a bowl for herself and was sitting across the table, Nila dipped her spoon and tasted the broth. Her wine-dark eyes widened in delight and she slurped up the soup, chasing the noodles and the cubes of protein until the bowl was empty. 

"Good?" asked Griega with a smile.

"Good!" Nila chirped and licked her spoon clean. 

* * *

Corvus found the Maw staring out a vid window as their ship flashed toward home. It had been a productive mission: the halving of a small settlement outside of Xandarian space and another larger world had surrendered a sizable number of trained soldiers in return for clemency. Productive did not mean interesting or entertaining, though, so the boredom that rattled in Corvus's head showed clearly on Ebony Maw's face. Corvus dropped down into a seat beside Maw and let out a gusty sigh. "I need five rounds with an angry hellcat, two pints of alcohol and a dime bag."

"At least you can get the drugs," murmured Maw without looking at him. Silence stretched for a moment and he tilted his head to smirk at Corvus. "And it could be argued that you have access to the angry pussy, too."

Corvus snorted and gave his friend a sidelong grin. "And what would you know about angry pussy, Maw?"

"Very little," Maw replied with a self-satisfied smirk and settled back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "Mine always seems satiated."

Corvus threw his head back and barked his laughter. "You have been so much more fun since she came."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" snorted Maw.

Corvus leaned on the arm of his chair and flicked a finger back and forth to indicate the space between them. "This. You actually talk without acting like you're going to gut me when I'm not looking. You can take a joke. You can make one." He punched Maw in the shoulder lightly before sitting back. "It's not often we've seen you happy."

"I would argue that I have been happy before her," Maw murmured, his eyes sinking half-closed, "but I cannot argue that I am happier with her. I had not imagined."

"People like us tend not to," agreed Corvus in a low voice. He turned his head and a smile stretched his face to its limits when Proxima came to kiss his forehead. "Sometimes we get lucky," he said and leaned up to kiss her back. 

"Ready to be home?" Proxima purred as she slipped her arms around Corvus's neck and let her cheek rest against his. 

"Of course." Maw stretched his arms over his head and stood up. "How close are we?"

"One more jump and we'll be there."

"Good." He tilted his head back to look at them. "I know I'm hardly a hellcat, but would you care to spar to pass the time?"

"It's on," said Corvus eagerly and he scrambled out of the chair to run for the practice room before Maw could change his mind.

"He's like a pup," commented Maw as he started to follow him.

"You have no idea," snickered Proxima as she resumed Corvus's abandoned seat. "Have fun, boys." Maw just lifted his hand over his head to wave acknowledgement back to her as he vanished down the hall.

* * *

The ship docked, cycled through its processes and dropped its loading doors to allow the passengers out. A battalion of Kree warriors escorted the new recruits to their holding area while the Black Order descended in their own good time. In the case of Cull Obsidian, this was a slow, grumpy process that carried him off into the distance to hunt for something to eat.

Thanos and Maw came down together and both stopped rather suddenly at the end of the platform. Neither man could move, their full focus captured by what they saw. Griega stood watching them, Nila curled in her arms with her head on the woman's shoulder. She bounced Nila once and whispered something so the little girl lifted her head and sleep faded from her face. "Daddy!" she shrieked and Griega put her down to sprint across the docking bay and leap into Thanos's waiting arms. 

Maw watched Thanos holding his daughter, talking animatedly to her. His hands opened and closed restlessly and then he looked at Griega. Her eyes were intense and blurred with tears before she started to run to him. He abandoned pretense and met her in the middle, their arms around each other and their mouths clashing together desperately. Griega squeaked in surprise when Maw lifted her against him and kissed her harder. "I need you," he rasped, his voice shaking. "Griega, I need you and I can't wait."

"Can you wait until we get to our room?" she giggled softly and then watched his face in surprise, realizing how serious he was. "What is it?"

Maw caressed her face with one hand and brushed his lips against hers, his breath hot and his touch hungry. "Give me that," he whispered. "I want to be someone's daddy, Griega. I want a child to run to me when I'm home." He rocked a little with her and Griega peppered his face with kisses. "I need to put a baby in you, my love. I need to. Please."

"Yes," she breathed against his neck. "I'm yours. You know that. You know I want that, too." 

Maw groaned softly and rocked forward on his toes, clutching her. "I missed you so much."

"Take me to bed, Maw," Griega purred in his ear. "I missed you, too. Let me show you how much."

"Please," Thanos's voice carried to them, "take this encounter somewhere else. There are children present."

"Yes, my lord," Maw called and he all but sprinted out of the docking bay, still carrying his wife wrapped around him like an amorous monkey.

* * *

They hit the bed in a frenzy of kisses, Maw pawing at Griega's clothing while she dragged at his robe. When he found skin, Maw stopped with a low moan and buried his face in her, breathing her in. Griega choked off a giggle when he kissed his way up her stomach to her breasts. Maw worked his thumbs under the band of her bra and pulled it up without regard for the clasp, his lips seeking her nipple as Griega writhed happily under him. Griega ran her fingers through his hair and moaned softly, holding him close as he flicked his tongue against her skin. 

A low growl vibrated in his chest and Maw looked up to meet his wife's eyes, watched her understand his mental state and felt her legs spread immediately. He rolled his eyes back with a hungry sound and worked his way free of the last vestiges of clothing. He all but ripped her panties away and took a moment to press his face between her legs. The moment became several as he let himself get drunk on her scent and he kissed her labia while she gasped and squirmed. He flicked the tip of his tongue into the folds of her pussy and smiled, unable to resist the eager sounds she made as her legs curled around his shoulders. He delved deeper and groaned at the taste of her. He tasted her again and again, lapping at her wetness until she was panting and moaning restlessly. When she arched her back with a soft cry, Maw paused, breathing hard on her wet skin. "Are you..." he started and lifted his head to search her face. 

"Don't stop," Griega begged him, her face flushed with excitement. "Please, Maw. Please, don't stop."

"As you wish, my dear." Maw eased one finger deeper into her pussy and closed his eyes when she cried out and clenched around him. He nuzzled back down and kissed the edges of her labia before tracing the same route with the tip of his tongue, slowly working his fingertip until he found the spot he was looking for, rough and tender and vibrant with sensation. He groaned when Griega cried out again and her vagina fluttered around his finger. He continued to stroke her as he flicked his tongue out and started to lap in steady, warm strokes against her clitoris. Her legs started to tremble when she arched against his mouth and her voice was starting to slide up the scale until she was rasping high in her throat and writhing. 

Maw stopped.

He gently withdrew his finger, kept his mouth close to her heated skin without touching, simply breathing on her. Griega lifted her hips restlessly and whimpered when he leaned back to maintain the distance, then slowly exhaled to rush air over her skin. He waited until she was squirming and pleading with her movements before he stood up at the foot of the bed to study her. He smiled, watched his wife naked in the sheets of their bed, her arms stretched over her head and her breasts heaving with her labored breath. His cock throbbed and he reached to stroke himself a few times, still just watching her. "What do you want?" he whispered.

"Don't play with me," Griega begged him in a thready voice. "I can't... please, Maw."

He shifted and climbed onto the bed again, kneeling between her legs and still stroking his erection thoughtfully. "Tell me," he murmured. "What do you want?"

Griega moaned and lifted her hips. "I want what you want, Maw. You know what I want. Please stop playing with me. Please fuck me already. I need you."

Maw reached forward with his free hand and ran the tip of his finger over her swollen labia, then back down and into the wet folds. When she dragged a long moan out into a whine, he took his finger back and tasted her juices on his skin. "I love you," he whispered. He stretched himself out over her, his twitching, throbbing cock hovering over her skin. "Tell me," he hissed, "what you want."

Griega wrapped her legs around him and her body writhed against his, aligning and begging and so close to impaling herself on his cock. "You," she groaned. 

In a flurry of motion, Maw gathered her to him and rolled back onto the bed, dragged her so she was astride his hips. "Then take me," he smiled. "I'm here."

Griega hesitated, her eyes wide, then she rocked back sharply and his erection slammed into her pussy. She screamed and bucked against him, then dropped forward onto her hands and worked her hips hard, driving them both deeper into the blankets. Maw just groaned and held onto her hips, let her take what she needed from him. When her hips angled and her legs shifted to work her feet under his thighs, he tightened his hands with a growl, urging her. "So close," she panted. "I'm so close."

"Let go," he purred. Maw lifted one hand to stroke her face, brush her hair back. The flush of her arousal ran all down her chest, over her breasts and making the nipples rosy and hard. Griega's eyes flashed open and she met his gaze before she reached her own hand to his wrist and moved his hand. Asking. He groaned as his fingers settled around her throat and her eyes rolled back. Her movements changed yet again and this time, he went with her, focused on not hurting her while still gripping her throat hard enough to give her what she was looking for, the slight rasp of air on constricted airways. "Baby," he moaned and she cried out, once, twice and then she sagged against his hand with a little sound almost like a sob. Maw growled and strained, his own orgasm rocking him back and filling her with his seed. When he could breathe again, he released her neck and wrapped his arms around her. "Griega," he whispered and was a little embarrassed by the rustiness of his own voice. 

Griega lifted her head from his shoulder and pressed her kisses over his mouth, down his chin. "I swear," she whispered and her own voice was ragged, too, "the longer we're apart, the more danger this bed is in. One of these days, we are going to break it."

"I welcome the challenge," Maw grinned at her and ran his fingers up into her hair, drawing her back down to kiss her again.


	7. Ebony Nights - Part Four

After three years, Maw knew what to expect from Griega's menstruation. He knew the cramps that wracked her, the headaches and something akin to a flu-like fever. He knew how much she dreaded that time for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was its indication that they had yet again failed to plant their child in her. He awoke one morning to the sound of Griega's muffled sobbing, glanced at his calendar and sighed, his eyes sinking shut again. "Griega," he called and climbed out of the bed, caught a bathrobe in his long fingers and carried it with him into the bathroom. His wife curled in the tub, her hands over her face and her body trembling with grief and shame. Maw spread the robe over her, then collected her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. "It's alright, darling," he whispered and kissed her cheek. 

 

"I'll bleed on the robe," she moaned hoarsely and pushed at the soft fabric.

 

"It'll wash," Maw assured her and snuggled her back into the bed, tucked himself in beside her and held her close. "You mustn't torture yourself so over this, my love," he whispered as he stroked his fingers along her cheek. "This is but a temporary delay. There is plenty of time and we will relish the making." When she peeked up at him, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, he smiled and kissed her. "We always do."

 

Griega sniffled and squirmed under his chin while Maw wrapped himself around her, stroking her hair. "I'm tired of waiting," she whispered. "I'm tired of these delays, Maw. What if... what--"

 

"We will have children," he interrupted her and kissed her forehead. "I have done the research and there is no species in the galaxy with better cross-breeding potential than Xandarians, save Terrans. Those creatures will fuck anything." Greiga giggled softly and Maw smiled, pleased he had reached her sense of humor. "It's only a matter of time for us, my love. Even when like species couple, they often take time to produce offspring." He ran his fingers down her face and lifted her chin so she would meet his eyes. "Have faith, darling, and don't despair." 

 

Griega let out a long sigh and slipped one arm around her husband's side as he cuddled her close. "Faith," she said in a hollow voice. "I'm not sure I have faith anymore, if I ever did."

 

"Then hope," Maw whispered and kissed her temple. "And rest easy knowing that, even if we do not have children of our own, I will still love you all of my days." Griega closed her eyes tightly against another sob and Maw smiled, stroking her hair. "My love is not contingent on your pregnancy," he murmured. "It would be nice and I do look forward to being a father, but it does not change that I love you."

 

"Thank you," Griega whispered. "I needed to hear that."

 

"I know," Ebony Maw murmured and kissed her forehead again. "I am always prepared to say it, should you need to hear it again." With his wife tucked against him, he settled back in to return to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Proxima looked up from the strategy game she was teaching Nila to play and watched in wary silence as Maw and Griega navigated the kitchen, the former guiding while the latter stumbled, her eyes tightly shut against a migraine. "Gree!" gasped Nila in delight, but Proxima reached a hand and patted the little girl's wrist with a shake of her head.

 

"Not right now, Nila," she whispered. "Gree doesn't feel good."

 

"I feel good enough for a Nila-hug," Griega said and held out one arm, her eyes barely opened and a small smile curling her lips. "Gentle, though."

 

Nila stood up from the table and padded over to her, snuggling up under Griega's bathrobe and wrapping her arms around the taller woman. She had grown substantially in the last year and already stood tall enough for her arms to settle around Griega's waist instead of her hips. Griega reached down and stroked her hand over the stripe of Nila's crest, which had started to differentiate from her scalp more. Soon, it would be able to flare in alarm and move instinctively though she would not gain full conscious control of it until she was eleven or twelve. "Why do you feel bad, Gree?" the little girl whispered sadly.

 

Griega smiled. "My belly wants a baby, honey. We couldn't put one there this month, so my belly's sad."

 

Nila frowned in concentration, then put her hand on Griega's abdomen and said sternly, "Don't make Gree feel bad. She tried. You'll just have to wait."

 

Griega bit her lip against a soft sob and Maw hugged her shoulders, kissed her temple. "Thank you, baby," she whispered and crouched to gather Nila into a hug. "I'm sure it'll listen to you. I feel better already."

 

"Everyone listens to me," Nila said with a smug smile as she hugged Griega back. "I'm magic."

 

"That you are." Thanos's voice rumbled as he came into the kitchen. Nila squeaked in excitement and rushed to have him pick her up. "The best kind of magic." Thanos settled his daughter on his shoulders and went to the refrigeration unit. "Are you quite well this morning, my children?"

 

"Gree feels bad," announced Nila and hissed in his ear, "Shhhh. Her belly is sad."

 

Thanos turned his head toward Maw and Griega, his eyebrows lifting in question. Griega smiled sadly, her eyes sinking closed in a wince against the migraine's pulse. Maw hugged her with one arm, his lips resting against her shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said quietly. "If I may help at all, you will tell me?" 

 

"Of course, my lord," Maw murmured. 

 

"For now, you could give me the milk," Griega said and held out her hand. Thanos chuckled and handed her the carton. 

 

* * *

 

Sometimes, Maw could sense precisely where Griega was in the room. Sometimes, she vanished completely from his mind's eye. He didn't know why she faded in and out of his consciousness, just that it happened without any sense of pattern. When she put her hands on his shoulders, he jumped and tilted his head back to look up at her where she stood behind him. "That never ceases to amaze me," he murmured.

 

"What's that?" Griega asked as she leaned down to kiss him. 

 

"That you can move as silently as one of my own race, that you can exist without ever seeming to ripple the surface of my mind." He reached one hand up and stroked his fingers down her cheek. "I love you, wife. But I will never understand you."

 

"I don't think we're meant to understand each other," Griega said and shrugged. She pulled his chair back a few inches, then slipped across his legs to straddle his lap. She settled against his chest with her arms loosely looped around his neck and leaned in to kiss his lips. "Love's too complicated for real understanding."

 

Maw made a soft sound in the back of his throat as he placed his surgical tools back on the desk with a brief motion of his mind, then his hands ran over her hips and waist. "I wish to understand," he murmured. "I wish to understand everything about my world. It is part of my nature."

 

"And it's part of mine, too," Griega smiled. "It's one of the reasons we're so well suited to each other. A hunger for knowledge and beyond that, a hunger for understanding. It isn't enough to know something. It has to fit into a logical framework."

 

"That and you think it's sexy that I can hold you up with my mind." 

 

"That doesn't hurt." Griega grinned as she kissed him slowly, then winced and made an annoyed sound, her head down on her husband's shoulder. "Fucking cramps."

 

Maw sighed and rubbed his hands over her lower back. "Would you like a massage? Would it help?"

 

"Not really. It's not my back that hurts; it's my ovaries."

 

"I might be able to massage those, too."

 

Griega gave him a sly smile and kissed his cheek. "You're sweeter than the galaxy thinks."

 

"Practically saccharine," Maw smiled back. He brushed his fingers along her lower back and Griega squeaked and squirmed when she felt his mind prodding inside of her. It started as play, but his attention narrowed down as he touched her. "My heart," he sighed and there was pain in his voice. "No wonder you hurt so."

 

"Maw, I'm--"

 

"No." He pressed his forehead against her shoulder and closed his eyes, focusing. "Shh. A moment." Griega gasped at the relief that flooded her when he stopped concentrating and sat back. "Better?"

 

"What did you do?" she asked, almost dizzy with the feeling of being painless. 

 

"I blocked the nerves associated with your uterine muscles. They should continue to function normally, but I can check later to make sure. You just won't have to feel them." He brushed her face with his fingers and kissed her again. "Do you feel better?"

 

"Yes," she breathed and tucked herself against his shoulder. "Wow. It's like being high."

 

Maw chuckled as he held her close. "I think I rather like being compared to a drug. Am I addictive as well?"

 

Griega smirked at him. "You know you are." After a few seconds, she let out a soft sigh and pressed her face into his neck. "Maw?"

 

"Yes, darling?"

 

"I want to fuck. But I don't want to fuck. Does that make any sense?"

 

"I think so." Maw nuzzled against her cheek until she lifted her head to look at him. "Why would you not wish to?"

 

"I'm gross."

 

"You are not gross." He snorted and kissed her nose. "Try again."

 

"I'm all bloody," she protested miserably. 

 

Maw smiled and tipped his head back to study her face. "Darling, have you forgotten who you're married to? Blood does not bother me." When Griega wouldn't meet his eyes, he stroked a thumb over her cheek. "If you wish sexual pleasure, I'm more than happy to oblige. However you like."

 

"Anything?" she asked in a small voice.

 

"Anything."

 

Griega's lips curled up in a smile that made Maw blink. "You promise?"

 

"I... am starting to wonder if maybe I should ask first." His wife wriggled in his lap and he bit his lip. "Yes, darling," he whispered. "Anything."

 

"Come with me." Griega slid off his lap and took his hands in hers, guided him to their bed and stopped to stand on her toes and kiss him again. Unable to resist her, Maw followed and returned her kiss, holding her close. Before he had a chance to respond, she had unfastened his pants and pulled them down and was working her way back up his body with kisses and touches that made his skin shiver. 

 

"What..."

 

"Hold still," she whispered and Maw looked down in puzzlement when his wife knelt at his feet and kissed her way across his upper thigh. She ran her hands over his skin, then gently brushed the tips of her fingers over his cock and he bit his lip on a faint sound. When she kissed the head of his cock, he opened his mouth in confusion, then groaned as her lips opened and she took him into her mouth. 

 

"I... thought I... fuck." Maw staggered a little and his eyes rolled back. "Griega, what--"

 

"Shush," she whispered and her breath rushed over his damp skin. "You promised me anything."

 

"I did," he said and peered down to meet her gaze, surprised to see how dark her eyes had gotten as she slowly lapped her tongue over his glans. "I rather thought it would be a more active role, though."

 

"This is what I want," she replied and laved her tongue along his length before settling with her lips against the tip of his cock again. "Do you mind?"

 

"It's... I..." Maw cleared his throat carefully and tried to sort out his mind. "I do not mind, though I am confused as to why you want this. Doesn't this part usually go somewhere else?"

 

Griega grinned up at him. "Of course. But that place is kind of out of sorts right now." She flicked the tip of her tongue under his glans again and he groaned. "And this is what I want." She took him into her mouth again, stroking her tongue over his length as she worked her lips against his skin. "Besides," she added when he swayed back to lean against the edge of the bed with a little sound of surrender, "it's fun to be in control sometimes."

 

Maw groaned and slipped his fingers into her hair. "Is that it?" he grunted, tipping his head back and letting his eyes close. "It seems to me a subservient position. How are--" he broke off when her mouth moved away from his skin and he swayed after her. "Well, don't stop," he protested. When he looked down and saw the smirk on her face, he slowly smiled in return. "Understood. As you will, mistress."

 

"Hmm, mistress," Griega grinned as she stood up to put her hand in the middle of his chest and pushed him backward onto the bed. "I think I like the sound of that."

 

"Don't..." Maw grunted when she knelt between his legs and resumed her slow stroking of his erection with her mouth. He subsided for a few moments, just savoring the sensation before he tried again. "Don't get used to it."

 

"No?" Griega asked, slowly brushing her lips over his skin. "Can't handle not being in control?"

 

"It's not my preference," he admitted and reached to run his hands through her hair again. "Though I am enjoying this. It makes for a..." Maw broke off with a gasp and a growl when Griega took his cock between her lips and sucked hard, drawing him deeper in incremental measures. "Fucking god, Griega, where did you learn this?" He struggled to take an even breath with her bobbing against his cock, then added in a hissed voice, "Don't answer that, I don't want to know. Just don't stop..."

 

Griega hummed in her throat and settled in to suck on him, stroking her tongue under his length and running her hands over his hips to pull him closer. Maw groaned and curled his hands in her hair as she bobbed and lapped at him until he was almost dizzy with his own panting. With a low growl, he arched his back and Griega squeaked when he pushed deeper into her mouth. She rocked back and let her lips slip from around his cock before she looked up at him and Maw saw that she was breathing as hard as he was. "I... are you okay?" she asked and he tilted his head, trying to discern her meaning.

 

"I'm fine, darling," he said and cleared his throat to ask, "Why? Are you?" She shifted on her hands and knees and it was clear in her face what she was considering. Maw slowly smiled at her and curled a finger. "Come and kiss me, my love," he whispered. 

 

Griega shed her clothing in a flurry as she rushed up to kiss him and Maw ran his hands down her sides, guiding her hips when she paused in apprehension. When he slipped into her, they both groaned and Griega's hand curled tightly into the pillowcase beside Maw's head. He put one hand on her lower back and drew her down, pressing her deeper onto his cock. When his wife started to thrust against him almost frantically, Maw held on and purred to her, coaxing until Griega screamed her release and collapsed against his chest again. She lifted her head and Maw kissed her, silencing her querulous whisper before he surged up into her with a groan of his own and emptied himself. They sank back to the bed sheets, still kissing and clinging to each other until Griega whispered against his mouth, "I wasn't planning that."

 

"That makes it even more fun," Maw grinned at her and kissed her chin. "Planning isn't everything, my dear. Spontaneity and the ability to adapt has its appeals, too."

 

"True," Griega grinned and tucked her face against his neck with a long sigh. "Thank you," she whispered.

 

"Perhaps I should be thanking you," Maw whispered back as he kissed her cheek and hugged her close. "After all, you were the one who suggested it first." Griega giggled softly and settled down with a long sigh while her husband stroked her back. "I love you, Griega," Maw murmured.

 

"I love you, too," she smiled back.


	8. Thanos - To Be a Parent

Thanos watched Nila grow. By the time she was four, she had graduated from basic martial forms and gentle sparring to more serious attempts to actually injure her. Nebula commented that she wouldn't have bet against Nila in a fight with an opponent her own size, but as it was, she was still too short to spar seriously with any of the adults. The knowledge of this could be seen plainly on Nila's face when she fought, a frustrated, explosive anger that no amount of verbal comfort could soothe. 

She fought like a whirlwind, but her physical speed paled in comparison to her mind. She was voracious once Griega taught her to read, spending hours in her father's library reading everything from planetary histories to medical volumes to classical literature from a thousand worlds. Not only did she read and learn everything available to her, she asked questions almost constantly. She interrogated Nebula on the nature of her implants. She asked Gamora for the strategic reasons for particular martial moves. She dogged Corvus for almost a week when he refused to answer her questions about what happened to the half of a population given "mercy." Ebony Maw offered to answer any question she asked but quickly rescinded it when Nila perched on his chest in the middle of the night to ask him why light breaks into the spectrum it does and why the colors are always in the same order. Proxima sat with her for hours, mostly reading her stories until Nila fell asleep and then holding her while the little girl snored.

Thanos had been careful about some of Nila's contacts. He had limited her interactions with Maw at first, in spite of the Maw's expressed interest in her--or perhaps because of it. The caution had faded when it became clear that Griega and Maw both adored the little girl and would let no harm come to her. He had also repeatedly assigned Terraxia missions away from Sanctuary. While his female clone knew of his daughter, Thanos worried she would grow jealous of how focused he became when Nila was present. If there was one thing he knew for certain about Terraxia, it was the depths of her insane jealousy. 

When Nila was five, Terraxia returned to Sanctuary and Thanos allowed her to stay, if only to introduce her to Nila formally and gauge their reactions to each other. He had coached his daughter about his clone, preparing her as best he knew how before putting them in a room together. Terraxia looked at the little girl, then at Thanos. "Another one?" she asked him in a flat tone. 

"This one's different," he replied. 

"Why is everyone so freakin' tall," Nila said in exasperation, throwing her arms out to the sides and letting them flop to her hips again. "It isn't fair." She marched over to Terraxia, hooked a leg behind the taller woman's knee and knocked her legs out from under her. Terraxia yelped and went down in a tangle of limbs. She came up ready to snarl but found herself almost nose-to-nose with a five-year-old Centaurian who squinted suspiciously at her before kissing the end of her nose and grinning. "She hasn't killed me yet," she said without looking away, "I think she likes me, Daddy."

"There's still time," Terraxia growled. She started to gather herself to stand up again, only to have Nila wrap her arms around her neck and kiss her cheek. "Get off of me, frogling. You smell like urine and child sweat."

"I do not smell like urine," snorted Nila without releasing Terraxia. "Sweat maybe."

"Sweat definitely," chuckled Corvus as he walked past in the direction of the quarters he shared with Proxima. 

"Boooo!" Nila shouted and used Terraxia like a springboard to tackle Corvus. He kept walking like she hadn't just glued herself to his back and turned slightly to drop her off with Thanos before continuing out of the room. "You like me," Nila informed Terraxia as she climbed up Thanos's chest to sit on his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his neck and her arms around his forehead like a circlet. "You might not know it yet, but you do. Everyone does."

"It's true," Thanos said when Terraxia glared at him. He shrugged very carefully to keep from dislodging his daughter. "Even Gamora has warmed to her. She and Nebula are all but joined at the hip when Nebula is here."

"She's blue," added Nila as if this explained everything.

"Stay away from me," Terraxia growled and pointed at the child for emphasis. "I will not harm you if you leave me alone but I make no promises otherwise." She glared significantly at Thanos and stomped off.

"She does," Nila said, her chin resting on the top of Thanos's head. "She just hasn't figured it out yet."

"I know," Thanos chuckled. "Just give her time, child. She'll come around."

Terraxia really did try to keep her hate high when it came to Thanos's child. It didn't last beyond the first week of interactions. When Nila dropped down on her from above only to hug her head and ride her shoulders like she had been invited, Terraxia caught herself smiling and it was downhill from there. She argued with herself that it was because Nila shared her own DNA, that it was a biological imperative that she not harm what was essentially her own daughter. But Nila's natural charm had overpowered everyone in the Black Order since she was tiny and even Terraxia wasn't immune to it.

Just before Nila turned six, Proxima grabbed Terraxia and shared plans to throw a surprise birthday party. None of them had really had a birthday party before and the idea had taken on such a life of its own in the months of planning that everyone was excited about it. Ebony Maw and Gamora decorated a room in the fortress. Corvus made a cake. Nebula and Griega wrapped presents. Thanos spent the afternoon before the party keeping Nila away from the room in question until the proper time and then he steered her inside to the cheers and confetti of the Black Order's first birthday party. 

An hour or so into the party, Thanos realized he hadn't seen his clone in a while. Normally, such a realization would not have made much impression on him, but the beauty of seeing his child happy, of seeing all of his children this happy and together made him aware of other feelings, emotions besides selfishness. 

He found her standing at one of the view ports, her arms crossed over her chest as she gazed out on a billion worlds orbiting a million suns. "I would give her the galaxy," Terraxia said and Thanos smiled. 

"As would I," he murmured as he came to stand beside her, his hands folded at the small of his back. 

"What is this feeling?" Terraxia whispered, her voice a hush.

Thanos remained quiet before he reached and placed one hand on her shoulder, then turned her toward him and kissed her. "I think it's love," he said. "The true kind of love that parents are supposed to have for their children." 

"It feels strange." 

"It does," he agreed. "Perhaps we are not the monsters people name us." He ran his hands down her arms and Terraxia looked away. 

"I don't know what to do," she whispered. "I would conquer for her. I would kill for her. I would sacrifice everything I know to keep her safe. I'm not... I was not made for her." She looked up at Thanos again and he smiled, brushing her hair back from her face. "I was made for you."

"I made you to love me, to serve me." Thanos leaned and kissed her again, lingering and holding her close. "What better way to serve me than to love and serve my daughter?"

"Daddy!" Nila rushed up to them and Thanos crouched to face his daughter. "Corvus said he's gonna teach me to bake a cake!"

"I look forward to tasting your homework," he grinned at her and stroked his thumb over her forehead and along the ridge that had risen along her scalp as she aged. Her crest occasionally bounced and moved on its own now though not under her control. Thanos stood and allowed Nila to drag him back toward the party, but not before he reached and caught Terraxia's hand, pulling her along with them.

Back in the party, Terraxia watched in mixed amazement and confusion as the rest of the Black Order spun a blindfolded Ebony Maw around and around and then dodged out into a circle around him. He blundered back and forth among them until he caught hold of Corvus and patted him over the shoulders and face before announcing, "Corvus."

"Why do we play Blind Man's Bluff with a psychic again?" Corvus asked when Maw peeked at him from under the blindfold.

"Because sometimes he doesn't cheat," Griega replied and gathered her husband close to kiss him. 

"Me next!" Nila cried and rushed to them to be blindfolded. 

"No running," Cull intoned from behind her as Proxima finished tying off the cloth. 

"Join us," Thanos said quietly and took Terraxia's hand to guide her into the circle. "Have some innocent fun. We have all lost much of our innocence and Nila lets us chase it again."

"Speak for yourself," Corvus sniffed. "I'm still as innocent as a babe in the woods."

Proxima snorted as she started to spin Nila until the little girl was giggling and dizzy. "Like Cull said," she reminded Nila, "no running. We don't need injuries tonight."

"Last time, she punched Cull in the unmentionables," Griega whispered to Terraxia as the group start to circle around Nila. "The trials of being taller than the most enthusiastic player."

"And vulnerable," agreed Terraxia. 

"Hah!" Nila darted forward and took hold of the edge of Gamora's jacket. She felt along the fabric's edge, then tugged until Gamora crouched and Nila could pat her hands over her face. "Gamora!" she announced when her little fingers found the soft waves of Gamora's hair. 

"Got me!" Gamora laughed and scooped Nila up into her arms to dangle upside-down. She handed her off to Thanos before taking the blindfold and tying it over her own eyes. "We should probably find a different game. This one is too easy."

"But this one's fun!" Nila chirped and waved her arms until Thanos put her back on her feet. 

"Fun," Terraxia whispered, more to herself than anyone around her. She found herself smiling, a real and true smile like the ones that came when she got to be quiet and just enjoy Thanos's company. "Is that what this is? Fun?"

"Yes," Griega told her and reached to hold her hand as the circle started to spiral around Gamora. "Don't fight it, Terry. Just run with it." The Xandarian grinned and Terraxia let herself laugh. 


	9. Obsidian Affection - Part One

It wasn't uncommon for Nila to find any of the members of the Black Order on their own around the compound. Over the years, they had all accepted their roles as her surrogate parents and aunts and uncles. When Nila crawled up Cull Obsidian's shoulder to settle with her legs on either side of his neck and her arms folded on top of his head, the big man barely thought twice about her. "Good afternoon, little swan,"  he murmured.

"Afternoon, Cull." 

He sighed. So much death. "Black Dwarf, child," he said in a low rumble. "Please."

Nila shifted on his shoulders and he smiled when her lips pecked the back of his head. "Good afternoon, Uncle Dwarf." 

"Thank you."

"Why does it bother you to be called Cull Obsidian?" Nila asked him. 

"Do you know what it means?" he murmured softly.

"Obsidian is another word for black," she said, tracing patterns over his scalp with her fingers. "Like ebony or midnight."

"That's right." Black Dwarf reached up to sweep the little Centaurian off of his shoulders and into his lap. Nila squeaked and let him flip her onto her back, then propped her feet up against his chest while she lay on her back, her crest falling loosely between his thighs. "How about the other part?"

"Maw means a hole," Nila replied, "and proxima means someone who's first. I know a glaive is a kind of weapon and corvus is related to birds somehow. I'm not sure what cull means."

With a long sigh, Black Dwarf offered her his fingers. Nila wrapped her hands around his index and ring fingers before starting to do pull-ups. "To cull means to kill off the weak and the old for the betterment of the entire herd. You've heard of pruning a plant?" She nodded and counted under her breath. "Culling is pruning animals."

"That doesn't seem so bad," Nila said. "Fourteen. Fifteen. It's for the--sixteen--greater good, right? Seventeen."

"Can you imagine why it bothers me?" he asked her. "Compare that name and what it means to the others of our group. Compare 'Black Dwarf.'"

Nila stayed quiet except for her subvocal counting until she reached thirty repeats on her pullups, then changed position to push against his stomach with her legs. "First," she muttered. "A weapon is active. A maw is passive when you throw something into it, though. Culling is active. It's a verb." She counted out a few more repeats, then added, "You're not less than the others."

"I'm aware," he chuckled. "Do you see why it might seem that way, though?"

Nila nodded and counted thirty before dropping back down into his lap and crossing her legs. "Culling doesn't usually kill anyone who's fighting back, right? It's just the sick and old. But you don't. I know you can fight."

Black Dwarf smiled and stroked the back of his finger against her crest. "Thank you, little swan," he said. "Excellent reasoning, by the way. I'm proud of you." Nila beamed back up at him. "I do prefer the moniker 'Black Dwarf,' but names are what they are."

"Dwarves are little," Nila said, her expression thoughtful and her brow furrowed. "Or little versions of something bigger. Why would you want to be known as something little? You're not at all little."

Black Dwarf couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. "What do you know of dwarf stars, little swan?"

Nila frowned. "They're smaller and denser than yellow or red stars. They burn a lot cooler than the brighter stars and they're harder to see." 

"What color do they burn?"

"Blue or white," Nila said. "Sometimes they fall in and..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. "Sometimes they turn into black holes."

"The ultimate maw," Dwarf grinned at her. 

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Nila shrieked and jumped to hug him around the neck. "I'm never calling you Cull again. That's so cool." She paused with her hands on his shoulders. "You're more maw than Maw!"

"Unlikely, but it's a nice thought," he grinned. 

* * *

Corvus looked up from where he was lounging with a book and watched his brother browsing through the shelves of the library before settling on a book of poetry that all but vanished into his huge hands. "You're looking smug," he observed.

Black Dwarf smiled and shrugged. "I have been talking with Nila. It tends to put me in a good mood."

"As she does with us all," Corvus agreed. "Have you ever thought about wanting one?"

His brother blinked. "A Centaurian?"

Corvus snorted. "A daughter, Dwarf. A child. Offspring. Fruit of the loins." When Black Dwarf rolled his eyes, Corvus grinned and continued, "Small fry. Larvae. Babies. Mid--"

"Enough," laughed Black Dwarf. "I would ask if you had an off switch, but I know you don't. No, I have not considered having a child of my own. Why would I?"

Corvus shrugged, his gaze set into the middle distance. "Just thinking about it, I guess. Between Thanos's obsession with his own progeny and Maw's dogged determination to impregnate his wife, there's been a little baby fever going on around here."

"Have you and Proxima considered?" 

"Not where we can hear each other." Corvus refocused and smiled at his brother. "I'll admit to wondering what fatherhood would be like, especially because Nila is who she is. I think I'm just as happy to cheer for Maw and Griega, though. I would rather not be the one required to get up to feed the screaming spawn in the middle of the night."

"Children are fine as long as you can give them back," Dwarf said with a sage nod. He fanned the pages of his book and sighed. "I was going to read and now you have me thinking."

"I would apologize but the brainworks need dusting sometimes." Dwarf glared and Corvus returned his look with a bright, toothy grin. "About what do I have you thinking?" he inquired more seriously.

Black Dwarf closed the book and set it on the small table beside his chair with a sigh. "Ebony Maw has Griega. You have Proxima. Thanos has Terraxia." He spread his hands in front of him, palms up and fingers wide. "Who have I?"

"Do you need anyone?" Corvus asked. He put his own book aside and swung his legs down from the arm of the chair to lean forward and study his brother. "Who would you want?"

Dwarf shrugged slowly. "I don't know. It just seems that I am missing something. Maw has been different since Griega. You are different than you were before Proxima. Thanos changed dramatically after bringing Nila home and his interactions with Terraxia changed, too." He rubbed his palms together, his head hanging down. "What is absent in my experience, Corvus? How am I lacking?"

"I don't think you're necessarily lacking anything," Corvus said. "You have changed since Nila arrived, too."

"You would have me believe what you share with Proxima is measurably similar to what any of us have with Nila?" Dwarf asked skeptically and Corvus shrugged, admitting defeat. "I'm not even sure I understand what's missing, Corvus. It worries me."

"There is nothing missing," Corvus sighed. "Brother, you are who you are."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You have never longed for a partner. You are as content alone as you are in company and the closeness you have with family and confidants is enough to satisfy you." Corvus smiled with a twist of his lips. "I have... more than once envied that about you. You don't seem to be lonely and never have been."

Black Dwarf sat in silence, his hands folded over his mouth and his elbows resting on his knees. "I have never considered other possibilities,"  he murmured quietly. "This is a door that, now that I've opened it, I can't seem to close again." He looked up at his brother and rested his chin on his folded hands. "Will you help me, brother?"

"Help you do what?" Corvus asked with a tone of helplessness. 

"Understand," Black Dwarf said. "Help me find out if there is a gap in my experiences or if this is truly something I am content living without. I feel that I need to know."

"You want me to teach you how to... what, be attracted to someone?" Corvus stared at his brother, eyebrows drawn together and his expression somewhere between a confused smile and a disbelieving laugh. "To want to be with someone? I don't even know where to start."

"Blind dates are a good start." Both brothers looked up as Proxima Midnight came into the library and leaned herself on the back of her husband's chair. "My apologies, Dwarf. I didn't mean to overhear."

"No, I don't mind." Black Dwarf paused, considered, then nodded when he realized it was true. "I only wish to understand."

"Don't say that so loud," Corvus whispered. "Maw might hear."

"If he had ears, they just pricked up," snorted Proxima. 

Black Dwarf chuckled and shrugged. "If he wants to help me figure this out, I'm willing to accept any aid at this point. Should we make it a team project?"

"Special Mission: Get Cull Laid," chuckled Corvus.

"Is that what we're trying to do, though?" Proxima squinted seriously at her brother-in-law. "What exactly are you looking for, Dwarf?"

"I think I've made it fairly clear that I don't know," Dwarf replied, his eyes narrowed. "Do not tease me, sister."

"I'm not," Proxima said. "I'm trying to sort out where to start. Are you seeking a sexual experience? Or a friendship? Romance? Partnership?"

"All of the above?" added Corvus.

"Which would be the easiest to arrange?" Dwarf asked with an embarrassed shrug. 

"Sex," the couple chorused. 

Black Dwarf grinned and sighed. "Then I suppose we start with sex."

* * *

"Stop fidgeting," Corvus sighed and poked his brother in the ribs. "Just calm down and drink the pink thing with the umbrella. It's good."

"Then why aren't you drinking one?"

"He's allergic to the umbrella," Proxima said without looking away from the stage where several humanoids were being displayed. They were all clothed but only barely, their upper limbs bound and their lower limbs connected to each other in a line. "Do any of these look interesting, Dwarf?"

Black Dwarf looked up at the line of slaves, sipping the drink through a straw that felt too small for his mouth. "In what sense?"

"Do you want to put your dick in any of them?" clarified Corvus. "Or, for that matter, want any of them to put a dick in you. Or fingers or tongue or--"

"Maybe we should have started with porn," Proxima mused, rubbing her chin. "At least we could have narrowed down what you're interested in."

"The Easik," Black Dwarf said, his head tilted to the side. 

"Which one, there are three," Proxima chuckled. 

Dwarf grinned, his expression almost shy. "Yes?"

"Hell, it's your birthday," Corvus grinned as he pulled up the pricing list. He tapped a few buttons on the digital readout and glanced up at the auctioneer, who nodded. "Mmm. Might have a fight on our hands for one of them."

"Someone is bidding?" Proxima said and her eyes were alight.

"Oh, shit," Corvus muttered under his breath. "Budget, dear. Remember the budget."

Several thousand credits later, the trio stood facing three half-naked Easik, two women and a man. It had been the man who had generated the fierce bidding war and Proxima was studying him with a sly look on her face. "If things don't work out," Corvus sighed, "you can ask to borrow him. I promise."

"Lucky me," she murmured and ran her hand under the man's chin. He stared her down defiantly and she grinned. "He's a fighter, Cull. You may want to watch him."

"I'll keep it in mind," Dwarf snorted. He studied his new slaves and frowned when he saw the mixed expressions on their faces. "Let's go home," he said abruptly and turned away from them.

Proxima and Corvus exchanged a quick look and Corvus grabbed the lead for the chain of slaves before they rushed to catch up with him. "You okay?" he asked his brother.

"Questioning my life choices," Dwarf replied. "I think I need a nap."

"Naps are good for that," Proxima agreed with a nod. "Do you want company or should we put them somewhere else?"

"Somewhere else." 

* * *

Black Dwarf lay on his back in his underwear, staring silently at the ceiling of his quarters. Three days had passed since they had purchased the Easik slaves. He still wasn't sure how he felt about it. The fact that he felt anything about it surprised him and he had spent a lot of time alone in his quarters, considering the sensation. It had taken this long for him to feel ready to move forward and he sat up on the side of the bed with a nod to himself. It was time.

He pulled clothes on, casual clothes without a hint of his usual battle-ready suits. Terraxia, Corvus and Proxima were gone on a mission and Ebony Maw and Griega had just been reunited after almost two weeks apart. It was unlikely anyone would see them for at least 48 hours and even then it might only be for food. Slowly, Black Dwarf walked down the hallway of the compound, his hands folded at the small of his back and his expression turned inward. 

A little ways out from the slaves' quarters, he lifted his head and realized he could hear voices. Dwarf edged down the hall and peeked around a corner to see Nila sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the detention field which kept the slaves in their quarters. The three Easik were seated across from her and the four of them seemed deep in conversation. Smiling in spite of himself, Dwarf leaned against the wall to listen. No matter what he did, Nila was always going to be involved in their lives. He didn't mind, but it did make for strange discussions. 


	10. Obsidian Affection - Part Two

"I think you'll like Uncle Dwarf," Nila said to the pair of Easik slaves watching her. The third of their group was curled up on a mattress, her back to the force field that kept them in their quarters. "He's really not a bad guy. He teaches me things and is really patient when I screw up." The eight-year-old Centaurian folded her legs in front of her and leaned on her knees, her chin in her hands. "He lets me climb him to get to stuff I can't reach instead of just getting it for me. He knows I like to climb."

The female smirked at her, her head slightly to one side. "It sounds like he loves you," she murmured in softly accented Common. 

"He does," Nila said with a shrug. "Everyone does. Even Terraxia and she threatened to kill me."

The female shook her head with a smile. "You are a singular creature, Nila."

"I'm a singularity!" Nila chirped, grinning. Her head swiveled to look down the hall and her face blossomed from cheeky glee to genuine joy. "Uncle Dwarf!" She popped up from the floor and sprinted to the corner. Black Dwarf came around the corner just in time to scoop her up in a hug, then set her on his shoulder like a brilliantly colored parrot. She hugged the side of his face and said, "This is Citcoatl and Natte." She indicated the female Easik and then the male. "The other one is Thsa. She's Citcoatl's sister and she doesn't talk much."

"Pleasure to meet you," Dwarf said as he carefully seated himself on the floor where Nila had been a moment before. 

Citcoatl bared her blunt, square teeth at him in a dangerous grin. "Polite for a master, aren't you?"

Black Dwarf winced and turned his head just enough so he could look at Nila. "Little swan, would you give us some privacy?" Nila whined and leaned against his neck, but he bounced his shoulder. "Come find me later. I think I know where Corvus is hiding the brownie mix." Nila pouted for another second, then slid down his arm with a sigh. "There's my good girl." 

"Bye!" she said brightly to Citcoatl and Natte, waving. The female raised a hand in answer and Nila skipped off down the hallway.

When she was gone, Black Dwarf turned back to the Easik in the cell. "First off," he said quietly, "your purchase was... not entirely my idea." Citcoatl snorted and crossed her finely scaled arms over her chest. "It's true," he said and tried to keep the urgency and guilt out of his voice. "I am... attempting to learn something about myself," he sighed. Saying it out loud to someone else made it sound even stranger than it felt inside his head. "I've already learned something. I have no desire to be anyone's master."

"Then let us go." The male, Natte shifted until his feet were under him and he stood up, hands on his hips. "What better way to prove your intentions?"

Black Dwarf regarded them for a moment. "Because I'm not done with you just yet." He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, then asked, "Would you consider remaining as employees? I could pay you for your time, then release you as free people at the end of your service."

Natte looked back at where Citcoatl still sat. The female's eyes were cold, but flicked up to meet his. "What would that entail?" she asked finally. 

"The other people in my life have people important to them," Dwarf said with a sigh. He let his hands fall open on his knees, palms out. "I have no one. I have never... sought that kind of companionship before. I am still uncertain I desire it at all. Your... your job would be to help me understand what they have that I lack."

"Better whores than sex slaves." The two Easik looked back toward the pallet where their third was still curled with her back to the force field. "At least we'd have money when he's done raping us."

"Thsa!" hissed the female, her eyes darting to Dwarf's face nervously. 

"I would force you to do nothing," he sighed. "I would pay you for the chance to understand. If you do your duty well, I will pay you handsomely. If you refuse, I will still let you go but there will be no payment."

Citcoatl eyed him and pinched her lips together. "How do we know you'll keep your word?"

Dwarf shrugged and reached out with one hand to disable the field. "I will request quarters for you," he said softly. "You may come and go as you please. You will have access to all the facilities here, save communications and transportation of your own. If you wish to leave, tell me and I will arrange for your transport. Or tell Nila. I'm sure she will find someone to charm into doing her bidding."

Citcoatl stood up and her sister rolled over to sit on the edge of the mattress, showing her face to be more finely featured with brilliantly yellow eyes like amber. "How much?" Citcoatl asked.

"What's fair?" 

"Eighteen thousand," Natte said in a crisp tone. "That's the value of a standard laboring slave in the markets where you bought us."

"My brother," Black Dwarf grunted without meeting the Easik's eyes, "purchased you."

"You." Citcoatl spoke quietly and evenly. She stepped out of the field and walked until she was standing in front of him. Even with him seated on the floor and her standing, she was barely at eye-level on Black Dwarf. "You own us. You hold the contracts that are bound to our lives." When the big man refused to look at her, she reached out and barely touched the edge of his jaw. "Look at your property. Master."

"I am not your master," he hissed. "You are not my property. You are your own."

"Prove it."

Black Dwarf turned to bare his teeth at her in frustration. "I'm trying, woman. Can't you tell I'm trying?" 

They stared at each other. 

Citcoatl looked away first, her eyes wide and her breathing irregular. "Twenty thousand," she whispered at his shoulder. "Each. Access to the ships and communications. Free range of this base." After a moment, she looked up at him again and met his eyes. "Give us that and I'll stay."

Black Dwarf studied her face. "Agreed."

* * *

Corvus and Proxima watched as the trio of Easik walked past the entrance to the library. They stayed clustered close together, the younger female and the male bracketing the older female like body guards. "He's letting them go," Proxima said. 

"They were a gift," Corvus reminded her. "If he wants to let them go, it's his decision."

"I thought he wanted to learn," Proxima said and waved her hands helplessly at the door to indicate the Easik. "How's he going to learn anything if he lets them go?"

"Maybe he already did." Corvus leaned his hips back against the arm of a chair and crossed his arms over his chest to study his wife. "Dwarf's always been content without sex. That's why I was so confused when he started talking like this in the first place. He's never been interested before. So why now?"

Proxima tilted her head to consider. "You think something prompted this?"

Corvus nodded. "I think Griega prompted this. Not directly, maybe, but he's watched Maw go from being... well, Maw to actually caring about someone outside of himself. Griega's changed him. For the better, I think, but it's still a change that I know my brother has noticed."

"What does that have to do with sex?" Proxima asked and Corvus chuckled.

"You tell me, wife. You're the social expert."

She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back a little to look out the door into the hallway again. "I would have said that Maw's improved demeanor was because he's getting laid regularly. And enthusiastically, if the requests for bed repairs are any indication." Proxima rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. "For us, sex and romantic attachment are connected."

"They don't have to be, though," murmured Corvus.

"True."

"Maybe they aren't with Dwarf. Maybe he's looking for..." Corvus stood up and crossed the room to kiss Proxima, holding her close as she relaxed and wound her arms around him in return. "Maybe he's looking for this," he murmured softly. "Maybe my brother's lonely."

"Maybe." Proxima laid her head against her husband's shoulder with a sigh and closed her eyes. "Still. Fifty thousand units, Corvus. And he's just letting them go."

Corvus chuckled and kissed her forehead. "What greater love could any man have than releasing his slaves and hoping they come back to him." They were quiet together for a moment and he added, "It worked for Maw."

"True," Proxima sighed. "Still." Corvus grinned and kissed her, just to shut her up.

* * *

Griega looked up from the pasta she was stirring and grinned when she saw the Easik standing in the doorway, all three of them sniffing the air curiously. "Good afternoon," she said. "I heard we had new faces. Come in. Are you hungry?"

"Only constantly," the male said. He crossed the kitchen and sat at the table, his legs splayed out comfortably and his chin in his hand. Griega studied him a moment, her eyebrows raised until he sat up again to present a tidier appearance. "Yes, ma'am," he clarified. 

"You're younger than I thought," she said and gestured to the table. The females crossed and sat while Griega put plates in front of them and dished out fresh protein pasta and put the sauce on the table for them to serve themselves. "You aren't much more than twenty, are you?"

"Twenty-two," the male said. "I'm Natte, by the way."

"Griega," she said and took his offered hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Citcoatl," the younger female said as she shook Griega's hand. "My sister, Thsa." The older female refused to look at Griega or extend her hand. Citcoatl studied her sister for a moment, then added, "She... doesn't talk much."

"I talk plenty," Thsa snapped without looking up. "I just don't pretend to be friendly with slavers."

Griega considered in silence, then said in a low voice, "I can safely say I have never owned nor sold a slave. I have been one, though." All three Easik turned to stare at her and she smiled. "Past tense. I was confiscated with other spoils of war from my home planet before the Black Order halved the population."

"So you serve them willingly." The disgust in Thsa's voice was unavoidable and Griega smiled.

"Not exactly," she said and shrugged. "I joined them." Shock and revulsion washed over the faces in front of her and she continued, "My husband freed me from servitude, then asked me to marry him. I was a warrior on my home planet and they armed me, trained me. I am... as much a part of the Black Order now as Black Dwarf or Proxima Midnight."

"You're the Void." Citcoatl stood up from the table and crossed until she was standing eye-to-eye with Griega. "You are, aren't you?"

"I am," Griega said softly. "Some people do call me Griega Void, but the Void works just as well."

"You're partnered with the Maw."

"He is my husband, yes." She met the Easik's eyes without flinching. "I was his slave until he released me. I stayed by his side because that is where I belong. I love him."

"Your rapist. You love your rapist." 

Griega's hand flashed out and Citcoatl flinched back, eyes closed and hands coming up. The blow didn't land and Griega hissed softly, "Be careful what you say. Ebony Maw never raped me. He never did anything I wasn't willing to do, never took anything from me that I didn't give him freely. He respected me even before he loved me." She tapped the back of her hand against Citcoatl's cheek, a reminder that she could have struck her before she could flinch away. "The Black Order is not full of the monsters the galaxy thinks it is. They are people. All of us. Not a single one of us conform to the one-dimensional horror stories that circulate about us." She paused and turned away, then extended a basket toward Citcoatl. "Garlic bread?"

Citcoatl took the basket and looked down at it, her expression shocked and puzzled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Griega said as she turned back to the stove. "There's milk in the refrigeration unit and water. I would offer beer, but we drank it all last weekend and Terraxia has yet to return from her mission." She grinned a little as she took a noodle out of the strainer to chew on it. "Yes, Thanos's clone is on a beer run."

"Why?" Thsa asked helplessly.

Griega gestured to the fridge. "We were out of beer. She drew the short straw." The coffee pot rose from behind her and started to float toward the door. "No TK in the kitchen!" Griega shouted and the pot wobbled before returning to the burner. "Come in and pour a cup like a normal person, jeez."

"Apologizes, my dear." Ebony Maw walked in and kissed his wife before taking down a mug from the cupboard and pouring himself coffee. "I was unaware you were working in here."

"Bullshit," snorted Griega. "As if you can't keep track of every member of the Order's location at all times." She wound her arms around his narrow waist and kissed the middle of his back. "Maw," she added and steered him so he was facing the trio of Easik at the table. "Meet Citcoatl, Natte, and Thsa."

"Ah." Maw nodded to each of them and sipped his coffee. "You are..." he trailed off when Griega squeezed her arms firmly around his ribs in warning. After a moment, he continued, "Dwarf's guests. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Guests," snorted Thsa and Natte glared her into silence. 

Ebony Maw raised his eyebrows slowly. "It is my understanding that you are free to leave at any time; our ships are available to you as well as our communications." He gestured with his coffee mug toward their plates. "You are eating our food, prepared by my wife. How else would guests be treated?"

"We came here as slaves," she snapped.

"And you will hopefully leave as friends." Maw shrugged. "Conditions change. Statuses change."

Thsa raised her chin and hissed, "I will not submit to degradation at the hands of a beast."

"It is my understanding that no one has requested that of you," Maw said. "Not even when you were purchased." He tilted his head to look down at Griega. "I am right, right? They were bought as sex slaves for Cull?" Griega gave him a frustrated glare and he waved the mug in embarrassment. "What!? Am I wrong?"

"For someone so nuanced in social manipulation and verbal grace, you can be incredibly obtuse sometimes," Griega sighed and pulled him down by his collar to kiss him. "Shut up."

"I'm home," Maw muttered and his cheeks flushed a darker shade of grey. "I try to leave the manipulation at the office. It makes Thanos more likely to let me actually have a conversation with Nila."

Griega chuckled as she let him go and leaned back to study the Easik. "You're welcome in the kitchen. You're welcome here, on this station. This is our home and giving you the freedom to roam is more generous than you can possibly imagine. Please, at least attempt to be polite while you're here."

"We will," Citcoatl said and there was contrition in her voice. "It may take us a while to adjust, but we are capable of learning."

"Good," Griega smiled and Maw looped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her to his chest. "Then... welcome home."


	11. Thanos - To Be a Family

Nila was the final ingredient to move the Black Order from being a team to being a family. She united them all, embraced them all equally as the adults she trusted in her life. She knew no fear because there had never been anything in her life to fear. 

When she was eight, Nila met another Centaurian. Thanos had consented to allowing Terraxia to escort Nila on a basic supply mission, just the pair of them and a half-dozen Kree soldiers as guards. Sanctuary had been in orbit above a pleasure planet for several months to accommodate the Order's need for shore leave: Proxima and Corvus had taken a vacation to one of the more heavily populated cities in disguise with the apparently intention of picking up sex toys. Cull Obsidian had accompanied them for a few nights, then returned with a trio of Easik slaves and a strange sense of shame hovering around him. Maw and Griega had also taken some time to explore the temperate shoreline. They had all decided to rotate their time away and an evening of shared revelry had left the station almost bare of alcohol and Corvus's morning recovery had left the kitchen entirely bare of easy-prep food.

Once they settled in port, Terraxia looked down at Nila and grinned. "So, what should we buy?"

"Cereal," Nila said and nodded decisively. "With the little dried marshmallow bits."

"Sugar cereal, check."

Nila squinted up at Terraxia. "Can we get the little trees?"

"Broccoli?" Terraxia nodded. "I think that can be arranged."

"Not the white ones," Nila said quickly.

"Of course not." Terraxia guided the little girl out into the plaza where she planned to shop. "Just the greens."

"Like Gamora!"

Terraxia grinned. They walked through the plaza and she pointed out which goods she wanted to her guards, who purchased them and shuttled them back to the ship. She was deep in a financial debate with a vendor over the price of his raw protein beans when she realized Nila wasn't standing at her hip. "Nila?" Cold fear washed through her and she stood up straighter. "Nila!?" Terraxia grabbed one of her guards by the collar. "Find her. Now."

"Yes, ma'am!" the guard gasped when she let him go and two of them split off to begin searching the market for Nila.

"Nila!" Terraxia called as she drifted away from the vendor, who looked miffed to have lost a sale to a missing child. "Nila, where are you?" It took all her discipline not to panic as the minutes ticked by without sight of the little Centaurian. "Nila!"

When they found her, Nila stood across a small table from another Centaurian girl about her own age. They were staring at each other like they had never seen another of their own kind before. The other girl whistled a question and Nila answered. Nila clicked and grunted her own inquiry and the girl answered, her expression surprised. Terraxia fought her impulse to sprint down the narrow row of tents to scoop Nila up, instead just letting her talk to this girl who looked just like her. After a few more minutes of exchanged Centaurian, the other girl grinned and reached to pull something from the slitted pocket in the front of her shirt. Nila recoiled in surprise, then leaned forward, clicking and whistling madly. The matter-of-fact answer from her new acquaintance made her sit back on her heels, looking stunned. 

"Nila," Terraxia finally called and the little girl jumped. "Where have you been? Didn't you hear me calling?"

"Centaurians can all have pouches, not just the girls," Nila gasped as she ran to Terraxia. "And she says we've got twice the baby-makers inside that you do! Centaurians have lots of twins!" She held up her arms and Terraxia sighed as she picked her up. "Did I have a twin?"

Terraxia glanced at the other girl. "No, baby," she said softly. "Listen, don't run off like that. You scared me." 

"But--"

"No buts," Terraxia said and let irritation creep into her voice. "You know what your dad would do to me if I lost you? Do you know what I'd do without you?" Her voice choked a little at those words and Nila studied her with worry, her hands touching Terraxia's face.

"I'm sorry, Terry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that I've never seen another Centaurian before. Nebula is blue but she's not Centaurian. It's not the same."

"I know," Terraxia sighed. "Just don't run off like that. Tell me where you're going, wait for me. I don't want you hurt or lost." She ran a hand over Nila's crest and the little girl leaned into her touch. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Terry." Nila snuggled into her shoulder with a sigh. "Are we almost done? Can we go home soon?"

"Soon," Terraxia said and kissed her temple. "I want to get fabric for some more shirts for you. You're getting big for the ones you have. And there's the matter of dehydrated marshmallows." Nila made a little happy sound and wiggled without trying to get down again.

Terraxia carried her like that until they had found everything they wanted. Nila didn't complain once.

* * *

Gamora jerked awake from a nap she had been taking on the couch in the rec room to find Nila staring at her from the back of the couch. "You know I hate when you loom, Nila," she sighed up at her little sister. 

"Sorry," Nila replied, but her tone said she wasn't really thinking about the meaning of Gamora's words. "Did you have a twin, Gamora?"

"Excuse me?" Gamora tried to keep the laughter out of her voice. Whenever Nila asked questions like this, especially if it was utterly out of the blue--so to speak--she had been thinking about it for a long time and was only now putting voice to it. 

"A twin," Nila repeated. She rolled herself over the back of the couch to plop ungracefully onto Gamora's stomach, forcing a pained 'whuff' from her sister. "Centaurians have more twins than other species. I just learned that. I wonder what it'd be like to have a twin."

Gamora wrapped her arms around Nila and sighed. "I didn't have a twin. I don't have a twin. I have you and Nebula as my sisters, but that's all." She stroked Nila's crest while the little girl relaxed. "What brought this on?"

"Met another Centaurian," Nila murmured. "When I was shopping with Terry. She was just like me but she wasn't. It was weird. I'm not used to seeing someone who looks like me but doesn't move when I move." She was quiet for a while and then asked, "Gamora?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Where did I come from? I mean, I know nobody here is my mother. I don't look like anyone and nobody here looks like anyone else. Except Uncle Dwarf and Uncle Corvus and even they don't look much alike." She snuggled her face into Gamora's shoulder. "I don't even look like Daddy."

Gamora kissed her forehead gently. "Thanos is your father," she whispered. "He's more your father than he is mine. You might not see how you look alike, but you do. You smile like him. You fight like him."

"That's because he taught me to fight," Nila said dismissively.

"Everyone fights with their own style, even when they make the same moves," Gamora told her. "Thanos fights to win, with all his power behind every strike. He's committed to every strike, every movement. You do the same thing and I know I taught you to temper your moves and so did Proxima." She kissed Nila's forehead again. "You're very much his daughter, Nila. More than you'll ever know."

"What about my mother?" Nila asked in a small voice.

"Your mother," Thanos said and both of them jumped, "was beautiful. She was fierce and graceful and she loved you more than her own life." He came across the room and crouched beside the couch to be closer to Nila. "I will always regret that I could not convince her to come with us."

Nila's bottom lip trembled and she reached up for him wordlessly. Thanos collected her against his chest and sighed, leaning his chin against her as he rocked slowly. "Why did she leave me?" she gasped.

Thanos and Gamora exchanged a long look, Gamora's eyes accusing and challenging while Thanos watched his daughter soberly. "She didn't," he said finally. "I took you." Nila leaned back to look into her father's face and Thanos tucked his chin, looked away. "I wanted you. I wanted a child of my blood. So I came and I took you. I asked her to come with me. I even demanded. She refused even as she beat herself helpless against my guards, trying to reclaim you. I... stole you, Nila."

Nila put a hand on his cheek and tilted his head back so he would look at her again. She touched his face while Thanos closed his eyes, submitting to her touch until she pressed her lips between his eyes. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered. "You promise she wanted me?"

"I promise."

"And you wanted me."

"Yes."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. "Thank you." 

Thanos's face crumpled in on itself as he held her, grief and guilt and relief chasing each other through his expression. "I love you so much, Nila. I will always love you and want you. Never doubt that for a moment."

"I won't." 

Thanos and Gamora studied each other again and Gamora looked away when she realized there were tears in her father's eyes.


	12. Obsidian Affection - Part Three

Citcoatl stood in front of the small ship. Her sister had already gone inside to examine the controls and Natte was checking over the engines. "She looks in great shape," he called back down. "Should easily get us to the next station where we can sell it and figure out where to go from there."

"The controls are pretty standard, too," Thsa said as she descended the landing ramp to the deck. "I can't think of a better ship." She regarded her sister, then snorted, her nostrils pinching closed as she put her hands on her hips. "Ko-ti, you have that look."

"What look?" Citcoatl asked without meeting her sister's eyes. 

"The one that means you're not going to take the normal, logical route and are going to do something really fucking stupid." Thsa crossed the distance between them and punched Citcoatl in the shoulder. When her sister recoiled with a hiss of pain, she glared. "Tell me we're all getting on this ship and flying away from here. Tonight. Fuck the horlix and his 'employment'." 

"I'm staying." Both women looked at Natte in surprise as he joined them. "Twenty thousand units is nothing to sneeze at. I'm serious. I'd rather have the cash than just a ship and I really don't think anything he's suggesting will be that bad." 

"You have no shame," spat Thsa in disgust.

"I'm staying, too," Citcoatl said softly. When Thsa turned to stare, she shrugged with a small smile. "I gave my word. It was my plan all along: he'd pay you and give you a ship. You would go and I would stay." She glanced at Natte, who grinned. "I didn't expect the company."

Thsa backed away from them, shaking her head in mingled horror and revulsion. "I really don't think he would force us to do anything," Natte said, holding one hand palm up toward her. "Just... I mean, two thousand units, Thsa."

"Where is your pride?" Thsa cried. "Where is your shame? To take money for whatever... depravities that creature would subject you to?"

Citcoatl sighed and walked up to her sister, caught Thsa's face in her hands and held her still. "Look at me, Thi. I've been taking care of you most of our lives. I think it's time you took care of yourself. Take the ship and go, if that's what you want. I'm staying here."

Thsa shook her head and hissed her grief quietly through her teeth. "No. I'll stay with you."

"You don't have to."

"I know."

Citcoatl sighed and pulled her sister into a hug, glanced back at Natte, who was frowning. "Then you'll be polite," she whispered. "You'll be cordial. He's our employer, not our master but that still means we need to find a way to coexist." Thsa nodded without speaking. They were all silent as they left the launch bay.

Thanos had cleared three soldier-level quarters for their use and Citcoatl didn't let go of her sister until they had reached the door to her room. "Get some sleep," she said softly and brushed Thsa's hair back from her face. Still speechless, Thsa nodded and turned away, went inside and closed the door after her. When Thsa was gone, Citcoatl looked at Natte with anger in her eyes. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Natte laughed, his hands open at his sides. "I just said what my intentions were."

Citcoatl approached him and leaned into his face, her hands in tight fists. "You knew what I was planning."

"I didn't know," he protested. "I thought it was likely but I wasn't sure until you said it."

"You knew I was counting on you to take care of her."

Natte returned her icy glare with one of his own. "Yeah. I did. And I didn't like the idea. Why should I protect her? Just because she's your sister and you want to fuck around with the elephant-man?" He recoiled from Citcoatl's open palm with a sneer. "I saw how you looked at him. You're curious."

Citcoatl paused and then studied him with a dawning awareness in her eyes. "So are you." Natte's face flushed almost black under his scales and he looked away as Citcoatl started to grin at him. "You little bastard. I fucked up your plan as much as you fucked up mine, didn't I?" When he didn't answer, she swatted his face with more affection than aggression. "Maybe we'll all learn something while we're here."

"I just wanted the money," Natte shouted after her as her door swung shut. He glared to hear her laughter echoing back to him.

* * *

Black Dwarf accepted a bowl of stew from Griega and tasted it carefully. "Mmmph," he grunted and touched the back of his wrist to his mouth. "Hot."

"Good," Griega chuckled. "It's supposed to be." She handed another bowl to Thanos, who took it and nodded his way out of the kitchen. "You always surprise me with that, Dwarf. I keep forgetting you like your food bland." 

"I survive," he replied as he added milk to the stew and stirred it in. 

"Any progress with the Easik?"

Dwarf frowned into his stew. "Depends on what you call progress. They have apparently decided to stay on as my paid companions. They didn't steal the first ship available or call for help." He took another spoonful, winced, and added more milk. "I still am not entirely sure what I'm doing, Griega."

"I think that's okay." Griega leaned against the counter with her own bowl. "Just being honest with yourself about that teaches you something. Have you thought about what it is you'd like to learn?"

Black Dwarf flinched a little. His eyes darted up to study her, then back down. "I... uh..."

Griega laughed. "Go ahead. We know everyone can hear us."

"And it doesn't bother you?"

"Not particularly."

"I guess..." Dwarf cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "It sounds like fun."

Griega threw her head back and laughed helplessly. "Oh, it is." When she saw the frustrated expression on Dwarf's face, she covered her mouth. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. It's hard for me to remember sometimes that other people don't get as excited about sex as I do." She waved a hand encouragingly. "Go ahead. What else?"

Dwarf swallowed and continued, "I'd like to know if I enjoy it. I've... never wanted to try. Not with men, not with women, not with non-binaries. I just..." He shrugged his shoulders inwards, a very young gesture that made him seem smaller than his massive bulk. "I don't know. I don't like not knowing."

"I hope they can help you sort it out," Griega smiled. 

"Me, too."

* * *

With thoughts bouncing around his head, Black Dwarf turned down the hallway toward his quarters. It had been a long day, even if very little had happened beyond the conversation with Griega over dinner. He hadn't seen any sign of the Easik all day. He hadn't come any closer to understanding his own drives or lack there-of. He sighed in frustration, then stopped in surprise. Someone was outside his quarters.

"Citcoatl," he said quietly and nodded to the Easik woman. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if we could talk a little?" she replied. Her hands were folded behind her back and she couldn't quite bring her eyes up to meet his. "In private."

"Of course." Black Dwarf reached and opened the door to his quarters, then gestured her ahead of him. "I'm at your service."

She snorted amusement and he grinned when she gave him a sardonic glare. That was more the spirit he had come to expect from the younger Easik woman. Citcoatl walked into his rooms and paused while the lights came up in response to their movement before she settled on the couch in his front room. "You know by now that we've decided to stay."

"I've seen the footage from your examination of our ships, yes." Black Dwarf sat down in an armchair across from her. "I'm glad you decided to stay."

"I promised I would." Citcoatl watched him quietly. "When would you like to begin?"

Black Dwarf stared at her, utterly unable to find words. "I... uh..."

Citcoatl smiled and there was a surprising kindness in her expression. She stood up and crossed the room, put her hand on his chest and pushed him until he was leaning back in the chair. "We could start with what I know," she said softly. "Would that be okay?"

"I think so," Dwarf replied. He watched as she climbed into his lap, paid close attention as she ran her hands over his chest, along his neck and jaw, as she touched his face with her fingers and then leaned in and kissed him. He floundered a little, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do, what he wanted to do even. Finally, he put his hands on her hips and listened when she sighed. 

"Relax," she whispered as she trailed kisses down his jaw and neck. When his muscles only twitched under her hand, she paused. "Are you okay?"

"Confused," he admitted in a low voice. "It... you feel nice. I'm not sure if that's what's supposed to happen or..."

Citcoatl smiled and sat back to watch his face. "You're so wrapped up in what's 'supposed' to happen that you're missing what is happening." When he gave her a helpless look, she grinned. "Close your eyes and just pay attention to what feels good. Do what feels good, tell me when something feels good so I can do it again." She leaned back in to kiss him again and this time he mimicked her movements somewhat, seeking to return the kiss as best he could. As he relaxed, the kiss became more natural and Citcoatl smiled again. "Good?"

"It's... nice," he murmured without opening his eyes. 

"Just nice?"

Black Dwarf nodded and opened his eyes nervously. "Is that wrong?"

"No," she smiled. With a thoughtful look, Citcoatl squirmed in his lap. "How about this?"

He watched her with his head tilted. "Mostly it looks uncomfortable," he admitted in embarrassment. "Is it supposed to feel good?"

"Usually," Citcoatl chuckled. She reached down to press her hand over his crotch, exploring gently until she had found the line of his penis. She rubbed her hand firmly along the bulge and watched his face. "This?"

At her touch, Black Dwarf bit his lip and winced a little. "That... is different."

"Different?"

"Not used to it," he murmured. "It's... uncomfortable but feels good at the same time. Does that make any sense?"

Citcoatl grinned at him. "Perfect sense," she whispered, then reached for the waistband of his pants. When he flinched back, she paused. "Are you okay taking clothes off?" Black Dwarf waited a moment, watching her nervously, then nodded. She unfastened his belt, tugged on his pants so he would arch his back and then slid the fabric down over his legs. She took a moment to slide her hands along his thighs as she came back up to settle in his lap. "How's that?" she whispered.

"Not as uncomfortable," Black Dwarf said softly. He paused, then closed his eyes on a sigh when she repeated her wriggle in his lap. "And that does feel nicer." Citcoatl smiled and ran her hands along his jaw before she kissed him again. This time, he kissed her back more easily and held her closer. When his body stirred and responded, he grunted quietly. "Ah," he whispered. "I... think I'm understanding something."

"Yeah?" Citcoatl grinned against his mouth. "What are you understanding?" She sank her hips and rocked against him again. 

He groaned softly and put one hand on her lower back, pulling her tight to him. "That feels really good," he grunted. 

"Do you want more?" she whispered. 

Dwarf peeked at her from under hooded lids. "More?" Citcoatl leaned and traced his lips with the end of her tongue and he closed his eyes again with a soft groan. "What... does that... entail?"

"Direct contact," she murmured. "Skin to skin."

"Yes, please."

Citcoatl giggled softly as she reached down to draw away his undershorts. "So polite. That really surprised me about you." She slipped out of her own pants and came back up to straddle his thighs. "Are you always this polite?"

"Only when I'm trying to stay on someone's good side," he grunted and then groaned loudly when she pressed the heat of her sex to his erection. "Holy..." 

"Okay?" she whispered against his neck as she rocked her hips slowly against him. 

"Yes," he hissed quickly. His hands ran over her hips and Citcoatl giggled again when he pulled her down. "Oh, damn. Are you always like this?" he asked her, his breath starting to come faster. 

Citcoatl smiled, feeling her cheeks flush as she moved against him, still rocking against his cock. "Honestly?" she whispered in his ear. "No." He opened his eyes to peer at her curiously and she grinned at him. "It feels good to me, too."

"It does?" He blinked a few times, then winced when she moved her hips again. "I feel good to you?" 

"Yes," she whispered. Dwarf groaned and she squeaked when his erection twitched sharply against her. "Do you want more?" she asked.

"There's more?" Dwarf couldn't keep the breathless excitement out of his voice and Citcoatl could see how widely his eyes had dilated. When she smiled and nodded, he surged up to kiss her again, his hands sliding down her back to her hips again. "Yes," he rasped. "Please."

"Lean back," she whispered and he obeyed immediately, stretching out in the chair until she could lie against his chest. "This... might feel strange," she told him and stroked his face. He nodded his readiness and Citcoatl pushed herself up his chest, then sank back, finding his cock with her pussy and easing him inside slowly. She gasped and bit her lip: he was massive by comparison to her previous partners and she had to slow down to keep from hurting herself. Dwarf groaned again and his hands moved restlessly on her hips as she stroked herself down over his swollen member. When she had taken as much of him as she could, she paused breathlessly and whispered, "Good?'

"Ffffff..." The best he could manage was a fizzling sound between his teeth and bottom lip and Citcoatl giggled gently. His cock throbbed and his hips came up, instinctive and hungry. "I... holy shit."

"Careful," she giggled. "You're a little bigger than I'm used to."

Black Dwarf opened his eyes to give her a thoughtful look, one eyebrow raised. "A little?" She tossed her head back to laugh and he grinned at her, his hands moving over her skin. "It's... incredible."

"Thank you," she purred in his ear. She dipped her hips again and let out a soft groan of her own. "God, you're huge."

"Thank you?" Dwarf grasped her hips and grunted when she moved a little faster against him. "Holy... I... god, what's... there's..."

"It's okay," she whispered and stroked against him again. "Just follow it." Dwarf clutched at her with a moan and Citcoatl gasped with a happy cry when his hips came up and he surged into her, cresting sharply and releasing himself into her. "That's it," she whispered and hugged her arms around his neck. "That's it. Nice."

When the tension faded, Dwarf dropped his head back against the headrest of the chair. "You... I... Thank you."

"Did you learn something?" Citcoatl grinned at him as she carefully withdrew from his softening cock. 

"I think I did," he grunted. "I think I learned that I don't have a fucking clue."

Citcoatl beamed at him and kissed him slowly. "That's the first step."


	13. Ebony Nights - Part Five

The bed creaked ominously and Griega groaned, her legs tight around Ebony Maw's waist. "Fuck, honey," she rasped. "Don't break it again."

"Why not?" he purred in her ear as he thrust into her, his arms curled to frame her face. 

"It's getting expensive." She paused with another moan when he changed his rhythm slightly. "Yes," she whispered. "Oh, please..." 

"Make up your mind," Maw teased as he brushed his lips against her neck, then traced her ear with the tip of his tongue. "Don't break the bed or fuck you harder?"

"Like you can't keep the bed intact and still... fuck..." Griega broke off and gasped. "Fuck me," she finished but the tone had changed to demanding and Maw chuckled in her ear. Griega arched her back when he slipped his hand under her. "Oh, please, Maw," she whimpered. "Please. I'm ready."

"I can feel that," he murmured. Maw pressed his face just behind her ear and took a deep breath that rattled in a groan when he exhaled. "I can smell it, too. It should be illegal to smell as good as you do." Griega laughed and hugged her legs tighter when he growled and thrust sharply into her. "This time," he breathed against her skin. "My love. This time..."

"Yes," Griega answered in a moan. She drew her fingers down his back and he growled again and rutted into her, rocking them both against the mattress and drawing another conspicuous squeal from the bed. "Yes!" As if the sound of the bed's welds failing was driving her, Griega arched her back and cried out. She rocked her head up and fastened her teeth in his shoulder, drawing a groan out of him. Just as he hammered into her one more time and she screamed her orgasm against his skin, the bed let out a monumental sound of ripping metal and they crashed to the floor. 

"Ow," Maw grunted quietly in her ear, his arms still tight around her and his cock still hard inside her. 

"Are you okay?" she giggled as she ran her hands over his back and down his sides. 

"I'm fine," he mumbled and shifted to withdraw. Griega caught his hips with her legs and didn't let go. "I'm fine, dearest," Maw insisted, then paused to study her face, his lips pursing into a smirking smile. "Or is that invitation?"

"Invitation," she purred and wriggled her hips. "Don't stop on account of the bed. It's not stopped you before."

"True." He gathered her back against him and sank deep again with a low sound in his throat. "I'll never tire of you," he whispered as he found his rhythm again and Griega sighed happily, clinging to him. "Loving you is bliss." 

"Sweet talker," Griega giggled in his ear. 

"It is what I'm best at," he grinned back. "Though it's all true with you." He leaned and kissed her mouth slowly, one hand against the side of her face and his fingers working into her hair. "What started with lust has become a love I never imagined," he murmured. "I'm not whole without you, Griega."

"Bullshit," she whispered against his mouth. "You were whole the day I met you. So was I. Our sum is a much better whole because we're together." She arched her back with a soft groan. "That whole will make a beautiful baby someday."

"Someday soon," he whispered back. When his wife cried out in pleasure again, he groaned and thrust harder, chasing his own completion. "So soon," he hissed through his teeth. "Griega... my love."

"Yes!" she yelped and Maw grunted sharply, his face buried in her neck as he emptied into her. As his movements slowed and his cock began to soften, Griega unwound her legs from his waist and sighed, her hands trailing down his back as he relaxed against her. "Soon," she whispered.

Maw shifted onto his elbows and kissed her slowly. "Soon," he agreed.

* * *

Ebony Maw stretched his arms over his head as he wandered into the kitchen, then rubbed one hand over the back of his head until his thin hair stood up wildly in a halo. There was coffee slowly filling a pot and he checked to make sure he had a clean mug before he pulled the carafe free and used his TK to block the flow of coffee so he could pour himself a cup. It smelled stronger than when Griega made it, which probably meant either Thanos or Corvus had started this pot. Proxima tended to like hers on the watery side and Cull preferred tea. Maw took out the milk and added half a teaspoon, then tested the flavor and added the rest of the teaspoon. 

"Look who's finally moving around." Maw looked up and smiled as Proxima joined him and poured a mug of her own. She added water directly from the tap, then two sugars as she sat at the table. "How's Griega?"

"Sore," Griega's voice murmured as she came into the kitchen. Her dark hair was a rat's nest that practically screamed "I've been fucking for eight hours without sleep." It was a look Maw enjoyed and he smirked when she met his eyes. She narrowed her eyes and smiled back, gently batting at his face with her fingertips before she collected a mug. "The bed broke again."

"I'm starting to think you two just need a mattress on the floor," snorted Proxima. 

Griega grinned as she sipped her coffee and took a tray of refrigerated pastry out of the unit. "Then we wouldn't get periodic reminders to stop and eat." She set the temperature on the stove and removed the plastic cover on the pastry before sliding it inside. 

"Do you two ever worry about little ears?" Proxima asked.

"Not really," Griega said with a shrug. "She knows we're trying to make a baby and she knows--at least intellectually--the process behind that. Sex education has been incredibly easy with her and I'm grateful for it."

"As is her father," Proxima mused, the mug resting against her bottom lip. "Though I don't know if anyone has spoken with her about her own sexuality."

"It seems early for that," Maw put in, alarm in his voice. "She's only a child."

"She's growing up fast," Griega said and leaned back against her husband's chest. "She's eight now and I seem to recall that Centaurians mature faster than Xandarians." The three of them studied each other over their coffee mugs. "God, first menses is gonna be rough," Griega murmured.

"Fuck first menses," Proxima sighed. "First estrus."

The two women stared at each other while Maw tried to puzzle out what they were saying. "What am I missing?" he asked softly. 

"You weren't here for the week Thanos spent locked in a room with a Centaurian woman," Proxima said, slowly shaking her head. "We didn't see him for the entire week. Occasionally there were orders for food to be sent to the room, but neither of them ever came out."

"He limped for another week after that." They all looked up when Terraxia came into the kitchen. "My lord has the stamina of the Titans, but even a Titan can't keep up with a Centaurian in heat." 

"Heat." Maw's eyes went round. "Centaurians go into heat."

"Yuuup," drawled Terraxia. The oven timer went off and Griega went to remove the pan of pastry. She drizzled it with a packet of icing before putting it on the table with a knife stuck into the middle. "Are those cinnamon rolls?" Terraxia asked in a reverent tone.

"Yes, ma'am," chuckled Griega. "Slaved over them for hours. Help yourself." While the Titan clone attacked the pan of rolls, Griega squeaked and found herself dragged to the side of the kitchen by her husband. "What?" she asked in amusement. 

Maw held her face so she would look at him. "Centaurians go into heat. That means Nila will go into heat." Griega nodded slowly, waiting for whatever it was he was thinking to come out. "She's a child, Griega. Even when this comes on her the first time, she will still be a child. Titans respond to estrus cycles. Neither Thanos nor Terraxia will be able to help her."

Griega raised an eyebrow. "Of course they will. They're adults. They can overcome--"

"Not like this." Maw sighed and rubbed his temples with both hands. "You know as well as I do what Thanos is like when aroused. He is almost impossible to have a conversation with. Magnify that by ten and then apply it to a child, his daughter whom he adores and wishes to protect. The confusion will cripple him."

Griega slowly shook her head. "I can't imagine that's true. He is one of the foremost strategists in the galaxy, Maw. He has to be able to plan for this kind of thing."

Maw sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. "I wish I could believe that, but this is his daughter we're talking about. Thanos's strategy is unequaled when he is given time to be dispassionate. Both estrus and emotion tend to negate the ability to be dispassionate."

"We don't have to worry about it for a few more years," Griega whispered and stroked her palms over his cheeks. "There's time to talk to him about it. There's plenty of time to plan."

"I hope you're right," Maw murmured and wrapped her up in a tight hug. "For her sake as much as his."

* * *

"Terrans," Corvus announced cheerfully, "have a saying. It doesn't make much sense out of context, but I feel that it accurately describes the current mood." He slammed a can of beer down in front of his brother and bellowed, "Tee Gee Eye Eff!"

"And this means?" Cull asked in a more measured tone as he took the beer and cracked open the tab. 

"Thank God it's Friday, as I recall." Maw caught the can of beer Corvus threw at him, hovering it above his hand and pulling the tab before taking hold of it and drinking. "Which is a misnomer here because we don't divide time by solar cycles, by periodic 'work weeks' or any of the other methods present on Terra."

"Thank you for ruining my mood," Corvus snorted. He threw another beer at Maw, only to have it redirected to Griega's hand and opened for her instead. 

"Your mood is exceptionally fragile today," smirked Maw. Griega poked him in the ribs, startling a giggle out of him. 

"If the sentiment is relief at a few days off to spend in good company," Proxima murmured as she stole one of the beers over her husband's shoulder, "it's heartily seconded. We haven't had a good bender in ages."

"And none at all with a full house." Corvus lifted his beer in Griega's direction and she smiled her appreciation. 

"Who's designated babysitter?" asked Maw. 

"Terraxia," intoned Thanos as he joined them. He settled in a chair with his feet on the coffee table while he accepted a beer from Corvus. "She said she had a headache and listening to us would make it worse." He closed his eyes with a smile as he sipped at the beer. "It is good to have some peace and quiet for a while."

"Or at least lack of conflict and noise we make ourselves," Griega grinned. 

"That, too," smiled Thanos.

The Black Order crashed their way through four more cases of beer before Corvus and Proxima nodded off in a tangle of limbs on one couch and Thanos dozed off in his chair. Maw was humming to himself as he directed a fleet of map tokens to dance drunkenly through the air above a table covered in empty snack bags. Only Cull Obsidian and Griega were sober enough to actually manage a conversation.  

"How goes the studies?" murmured Griega as she opened another bag of sandwich cookies and set them were Cull could reach them.

"Slowly," he replied, "but I am learning." He paused to consider her face before taking a cookie and asking softly, "How goes the gardening?" Griega met his eyes in a long stare and then looked away and Cull winced. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay." Griega pulled out the chair beside him at the table and sat down, leaning her head in her hand. "Every month is another disappointment," she whispered. "Every month, I hope there's a sprout and every month, it's just barren soil." She closed her eyes with a long sigh and added almost under her breath, "I'm almost ready to give up hope."

"Don't." Cull reached and cupped her cheek, startling her into opening her eyes. His eyes were kind and he smiled at her. "Never give up hope. Never give up on what the two of you can create. I look forward to meeting your son, sister." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly. When he sat back, he brushed a thumb over her cheek to swipe away the tears. "Or your daughter," he amended, "but I have a feeling."

"Thank you, Dwarf," Griega whispered and kissed his fingers lightly. 

"Hey!" Maw staggered over to wrap himself around his wife with a slightly cross-eyed glare at Cull. "You makin' my wife cry?" Griega grinned and kissed his cheek. "Only I'm allowed to make my wife cry," he muttered and kissed her.

"Maybe we should be getting to bed," Griega smiled and patted her husband's arm. 

"Yeah we should," he replied with a suggestive grin that made her roll her eyes. 

"He'll be lucky to stay conscious as far as the front room, won't he?" chuckled Cull and Griega nodded. "Sleep well."

"You, too, Dwarf." 


	14. Obsidian Affection - Part Four

Black Dwarf stretched out on his back on the bed. He kept his hands tucked behind his head and his eyes closed. Citcoatl writhed across his skin and kissed down his chest, across his belly, then back up until she could kiss his mouth again. He kissed her back, then opened his eyes and tilted his head slightly. "You don't have to if you don't feel like it," he murmured. 

Citcoatl settled back, straddling his hips and with her hands resting on his belly. "You're really not interested?" she asked him softly. She could feel his erection under her, throbbing slightly and twitching when she moved against him. 

Dwarf shrugged and pursed his lips in something close to a frown. "Not really," he admitted. "It feels good to be close to you and I'm willing to have sex if you want to, but I'm just as happy without." 

"Do you want me to get dressed?"

"If you want to."

Citcoatl stretched out against his chest and sighed, letting her cheek rest against his skin. "I don't think I'll ever understand you."

"That's part of why we're here," Dwarf chuckled as he reached to stroke his hand down her back. "I don't understand me, either." He toyed with the ends of her hair, curling it around the tips of his fingers. "Though I think I'm learning."

"Is it me?" Citcoatl asked softly and Dwarf raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, would you rather try with Thsa? Or Natte?" 

"Thsa hates my very existence," Dwarf said. "At this point, I would pay her to leave me alone. Which, I suppose, is what I'm doing. Natte is something of an asshole, but he seems to pride himself on it. I'm not sure how I feel about that." He tilted his head to meet her eyes. "You seem to enjoy my company, at least from an academic perspective. I prefer to spend time with you."

Citcoatl watched his face. "You really don't know what I just asked you, do you?" He frowned and she grinned. "I'm talking about physically, Dwarf. Do you find me more or less physically attractive than Thsa or Natte? If you would be more interested in a physical encounter with a man, I'm sure Natte wouldn't mind."

Dwarf was quiet for a moment, still teasing the ends of her hair with his fingertips. He had found that he rather liked the texture of her hair, soft and springy at the ends where it curled from the ends of her braids. "I'm not sure how the physical separates from the mental and emotional. I... have trouble thinking about either of them solely as a physical or sexual entity. Their personalities get in the way." Citcoatl smiled at him and he smiled back, reaching his free hand to stroke her face. "I like being physical with you because I like talking to you. I enjoy your company. Take away the physical aspects and I would still enjoy being with you and sharing your company."

"Would you rather not be physical?" Citcoatl asked him softly as she turned her head to kiss his wrist. 

It took Dwarf a long time to answer as he ran his thumb over her cheek. "You seem to enjoy it," he whispered finally. 

Her face flushed dark behind her scales and Citcoatl smiled. "I do. You're a very considerate lover, Dwarf, in addition to being attractive. But be realistic. We aren't here to satisfy my sexual desires. We're here to understand yours."

"I don't see why we can't do both," Dwarf murmured, but his eyes wouldn't meet hers. "I find it sexually satisfying to satisfy you sexually."

"But do you prefer me as a woman or me as a person?"

"Person," he said immediately and she grinned. 

"Thank you," she whispered. "Did you prefer me before I came to your room?"

Dwarf thought about it and tugged on one of her braids lightly. "No. I knew I liked all of you when I saw you in the market. I couldn't tell you why, but I knew that much." He smiled, then sobered. "I... don't want to be with anyone else. Not right now. I just want to be with you." Citcoatl raised her eyebrows in surprise at the earnestness in his voice. "Stay tonight?" he whispered. 

"If you want me to," she murmured.

He traced her cheek with the tip of a finger. "Do you want to?" he asked. When she took a breath to answer, he added in a soft rush, "Don't say it's my decision. I know I'm paying you and I know that's why you're here. But if you'd rather go back to your room, it's okay." 

Citcoatl studied his face for a moment, then slipped up and kissed him. She stroked his face slowly and savored the touch of his mouth on hers, the way he held her close. "I'll stay," she whispered when she broke the kiss. "One condition."

"I'm listening."

"Take Natte to bed tomorrow." When he twitched, she stroked his cheek again. "Hear me out. Yes, I enjoy your company. I enjoy your body. But I've had time to sort out what I like and don't like. It comes easier to me than it does for you." She kissed him lightly. "I think things between us will be clearer if you expand your experience." Dwarf was silent, his dark eyes studying her. Citcoatl smiled and leaned to kiss him, feeling him soften to return her touch. "If you're getting to know your sexuality, it's only fair that you try more than one flavor before you decide on your diet."

"Alright," he murmured. "That's fair." Citcoatl smiled and tucked herself up under his chin and Dwarf wrapped his arms around her with a long sigh. "I wish this was simpler," he whispered.

"Don't we all," Citcoatl chuckled softly. 

* * *

Proxima looked up from her book when movement in the door of the library drew her attention. She squinted against the light from the hallway before she made out the shape of the Easik man. "Natte," she said quietly. "We don't often see you out and about. Can I help you find something?"

"Yeah, I think so." He came in and sat down in a chair facing her, leaned forward and regarded her seriously, his hands clasped between his knees. "We've been here a few weeks now and I'm still trying to figure out what you people are."

Proxima tilted her head with a smile. "I always love conversations that start with 'you people.' They're always so... unbiased and pleasant." Natte raised his eyebrows in surprise at her sarcastic tone. "Pray, continue."

Natte squirmed, a little less comfortable with the conversation now that he was actually engaged in it. "You... The Black Order are murderers. You go all over the galaxy, killing half the population of planets by random lot. You're all insane. At least, that's how it seems to me. But here you sit, reading a book. Griega Void cooks and Corvus Glaive... THE Corvus Glaive bakes brownies often with illicit drugs in them. Thanos plays with his daughter as gently as any doting father. And Cull Obsidian--"

"Black Dwarf," Proxima interrupted. 

"What?"

"He prefers Black Dwarf."

Natte stared, then shrugged and continued. "Fine. Black Dwarf buys sex slaves only to offer them salaries. None of this makes sense to me. Not a single bit of it."

"You missed one," she smiled. "Ebony Maw. Who loves his wife and is hoping to put a baby in her before much longer. Who dreams of being a father." Proxima paused to run her hand through her hair and leaned her head in her palm. "The Maw wishes to fill the Void with life. How's that for a metaphor?"

"How can you be like this?" Natte asked helplessly, his hands held palm up in front of him. "You kill. Constantly. You wipe out whole generations of planets. You leave people devastated in your wake and then come home to... to each other like this. You love and you live like normal people but... you aren't."

Proxima smiled. "Maybe we are. Maybe our way of life isn't that different from yours, at the root. We still need to eat and sleep. We need to blow off steam. We care about each other because we're a family as much as we're the Black Order." She emphasized the capital letters with little finger waves in the air. "Ideologically, we're different from you but when it comes to the skin and bones and blood and sweat, we're still the same." Her smile faltered as she added, "We aren't invulnerable."

"I don't think I'll ever understand your viewpoint."

"Probably not." Proxima stood up from her chair and walked back to the shelf to replace the book she had been reading. "But that isn't my fault. If you choose to remain close-minded to our way of life, that's your own decision. If you cannot grasp it due to a lack of moral alignment or mental capacity, again, that isn't something I can change." She paused to look back at him. "It doesn't change that we are still people, whole and with our own internal lives that aren't that different from your own. There are no such things as monsters, Natte. Only creatures we don't understand."

 Natte made a grumpy sound in the back of his throat and leaned back in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you calling me narrow-minded and stupid?"

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't have to ask." Proxima grinned at the look of outrage on his face. "No, Natte, I would say you're just very young. You haven't seen enough of the galaxy to pass judgment so easily." She paused with her hand on the spines of the books, thinking. "That's how wars are waged, though."

"Huh?" Natte blinked at her.

"Wars." Proxima turned back to him with a sad smile. "Humiliation of the enemy. Debasement. The removal of individuality. When you can look into the face of a man with children of his own and a sore back from where a rock was digging into him all night long and still shoot him without remorse, without identifying him as having the same soul as you... When you see only a faceless part of an enemy army, that is when you've truly become a monster."

The Easik watched her in silence for a long moment before he said, "It's better to kill someone you know?"

"It's harder," Proxima smiled. "War should be hard. War should cost you as dearly as it does your opponent. It's not a light thing to take the lives of others."

"You wipe out  _planets_ ," hissed Natte in outrage. "How can you say you don't kill lightly? How can you preach about knowing the enemy as a soul?"

"Halve," Proxima corrected him. "We halve the population of planets and we don't do it lightly. We take our work very seriously. Corvus and I have both gone down to these planets in disguise before to learn about them, to see them as a society and to understand where the problems truly lie. Maw's telepathy makes it impossible for him to not see the people as individuals. He can numb himself, certainly, but the fact that he must is a constant reminder for him." She paused and sighed, closing her eyes. "Griega was a warrior before she came to us, battle-hardened and aware of the toll."

"And...?"

She opened her eyes to look at him. "And?"

"What about Cull Obsidian?" Natte stood up from his chair and stalked over until he was within arm's reach of Proxima. "What of my master? Does he bleed for his victims, grieve for the lives he snuffs out?"

"Yes." Proxima's eyes held fathoms of pain before she looked away. "More than I pray you will ever understand." Before Natte had a chance to respond, she pushed him back a step and walked away. 

* * *

The Easik usually took their meals alone. They would collect food from the kitchens and huddle together in the lounge or return to their quarters. Griega smiled as she handed them each a plate of fine, glossy noodles covered in a buttery-smelling sauce. They each smiled back as they accepted the food and edged out of the kitchen again--all except Natte. He stood to the side, studying his plate. "Can I eat in here?" he asked softly.

"Of course," Griega said. "If you want to." He smiled his thanks and tucked himself into a corner. 

The rest of the Black Order filtered into the kitchen for dinner. Proxima was the first to notice Natte and she gave him a thoughtful look before she took her plate and a second for Corvus. "Where's Captain Kabob?" Maw asked as he kissed his wife's forehead and took his own plate. 

"He has a headache," Proxima sighed. 

"Don't forget to turn the air cyclers off," Griega said without making eye contact, "or we'll all get a contact high."

"Natte." Black Dwarf paused in the doorway of the kitchen and his expression brought to mind the panic of an animal in a trap. "Good evening. We don't often see you for dinner."

Natte gave him a sardonic smirk. "Or ever. Someone gave me some things to think about, though and I thought I'd sit in tonight, if you don't mind." His eyes slid to where Proxima was watching him from beside the sink. She arched one eyebrow and her lips curled in a small smile, which he returned. 

"Of course we don't mind," Griega said, then glanced at Dwarf, who looked several shades paler than usual. "Do we?" Dwarf looked at her and forced his mouth into a grimaced smile. His answer was a faint grunt. "So welcoming," she chuckled.

So dinner went on around him and Natte sat back to observe. Mostly, that was all he did: watch the Black Order interacting as real people, as family that cared for each other. Eventually, they forgot he was there, even Dwarf. The true shock for Natte came when Maw used his telekinesis to bounce an empty beer can off of Dwarf's forehead and startled a genuine bark of laughter from his friend. Natte stared. The laughter transformed Black Dwarf's face entirely and the difference was marked. 

Natte stood up from where he had been sitting and everyone paused to watch him as he walked across the room to stand beside Dwarf. Black Dwarf looked at him with wariness in his eyes. Natte reached carefully and stroked his fingers across Dwarf's forehead before leaning in and kissing him. The silence in the room stretched before Dwarf lifted his hand to caress Natte's face. "Stop," he whispered. Natte froze and started to jerk away, but Dwarf smiled at him and brushed his thumb over his cheek. "Don't unless you want to," he added. 

"I want to," Natte murmured and Dwarf smiled. He tipped his chin up, an invitation and Natte leaned back in to kiss him again. 

"WHOO!" yelped Maw, his arms over his head in a victorious pose that earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs from his wife. "What?" 

"You have all the subtly of a supernova sometimes," Griega chuckled and kissed him. 


	15. Early Birds - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive indulge in take-out.

Proxima Midnight slid a pair of markers toward the center of the table. "I'll see your two," she murmured, "and raise you..." she pushed a square token to the edge of the pile and tapped it with the tip of her finger. 

Corvus eyed the token with a low sound in the back of his throat. "Is that what I think it is?"

His wife smirked and folded her cards in her hands before resting her chin on the back of her fingers. "That depends on what you think it is."

"I think it's a thousand units of credit with Ferro Juni."

Proxima grinned at him. "Best grass this end of the galaxy."

"You're a sadist."

"You know you love it."

Corvus rubbed his hands over his face with a groan. "Fuuuuck." He glared at Proxima, his hands pressed over his mouth. "Why do you do this to me?"

"You're easy, dear." She pursed her lips at him. "And your tells are too obvious. You've got nothing."

Corvus grunted and picked up his cards again, considering what was in his hand, then the look on his wife's face. "There's no way. No way. I call. Let's see 'em."

Proxima smiled and spread her hand out in front of her. "Two pair." 

"That's all?" Corvus spat and started to laugh, his eyes sparkling at the look of surprise on Proxima's face. He fanned his cards and turned them so she could see. "Small straight. I win."

"WHAT!?" Proxima cried and reached to yank the cards from his hand. Corvus chuckled as he collected the pot of tokens and markers between them on the table and Proxima madly shuffled the cards in her hands as if she expected the faces to change. "That's impossible. You must have cheated."

"Why?" he grinned. "Because I actually won?"

Proxima's face flushed a little as she put the cards down. "No."

"You say my tells are bad," he snickered and reached across the table to run the back of his finger against her cheek. "You're blushing, my dear." Proxima recoiled from his touch and batted at his hand. "You are," he grinned. "You like it when I win?" Corvus circled the table as Proxima crossed her arms over her chest and refused to look at him. "Do you like losing?" he purred in her ear. He ran his hands over her shoulders and grinned when she shivered. "You didn't let me win, did you?" 

"And why would I do that?" she whispered back, letting the corner of her mouth curl up in a smile. "I have other ways to get what I want."

Corvus leaned in and brushed his lips against her neck. "What do you want?"

"I prefer to win," she murmured and bit her lip on a small sound when Corvus ran his hand along the curve of her right horn. "But winning always puts you in such a giving mood. I seem to win either way."

"You didn't answer my questions," Corvus reminded her. "Did you let me win?"

"No," Proxima whispered. 

"Do you like it when I win?"

Proxima leaned her head back against his shoulder as he stroked one hand down her throat. "Yes."

"What do you want?" he whispered. 

"More," she replied and curled her arm around his shoulders to pull his mouth to hers. Corvus chuckled low in his throat as he gathered her out of the chair and against his chest. Her hair was heavy in his hands as he ran his fingers up into it to cradle her head and Proxima leaned in with a happy sound. 

They both froze at the sound of something moving in the room and broke apart to look at each other, surprised. "Did you..." 

"Yeah." Proxima looked up at the slatted vent above their heads and sighed when a flash of blue vanished from the opening. "Nila. What have we told you about spying in the vents?"

"It's rude," the little Centaurian's voice came back in a shamed tone. 

"Did you need something, honey?" Corvus asked, trying to keep the humor out of his voice.

"N-no."

"Uh-huh." They exchanged a long, bemused smile before Proxima reached up to unscrew the vent cover. "Come down, Nila. You know we don't want you up there. It's dangerous and dirty and--"

"You might see something you're too young for," snorted Corvus while his wife glared at him. She swatted him on the back of the head and the snort became a giggle. 

"Like what?"

"Shit," Proxima sighed. "Down, Nila. Now."

Reluctantly, Nila wriggled out of the vent until her legs were tangling five feet from the floor. Corvus reached up and caught her by the waist, lifting her down to the deck while Proxima replaced the cover. "Is life really so boring that you have to spy on us playing cards?"

"You were done playing cards," Nila pointed out.

"Yes," Proxima said and waved her hands at Nila. "Out. Or I'll tell your father where you've been."

"But I wanted--"

"I know what you wanted." Proxima glared when Corvus started to say something and he halted with a sheepish grin on his face. "Go bother Griega and Maw for a while."

"They already kicked me out," Nila sighed, letting her arms flop to her sides. "Terry is sleeping. Daddy's studying something and asked me very nicely to leave him alone for a while."

"Dwarf?"

"He's.... um." Nila's face flushed almost purple as she knotted her fingers together. "Thsa made me leave."

"Ah." Corvus's lips twitched in a suppressed smile. "It sounds like everyone's occupied this afternoon."

"Did you try Citcoatl or Natte?" asked Proxima.

Nila nodded, her face still bright purple. "They're with Uncle Dwarf."

Proxima and Corvus exchanged a look and nodded. "About time," Corvus muttered and Proxima smacked at his head again. "Such abuse!" he protested. 

"If you'd keep your mouth shut, I wouldn't have to hit you," she shot back, but smiled as he caught her fingers and kissed them. 

"Why is everyone so obsessed with that kind of kissing anyway," Nila sighed in exasperation. "It just seems messy to me."

Corvus opened his mouth and closed it again at a glare from Proxima. "It's a way to say we care about each other," she explained quietly. "It feels good, but it's something for when you're older, okay?"

Nila made an annoyed sound in her throat, half-grunt, half-click. "I want to understand now."

"She sounds like Maw," chuckled Corvus. 

"She sounds like you," Proxima grinned back. "And Griega. And Thanos. She's had a lot of models on that behavior." Corvus nodded amiably and shrugged. "How about you go look up the sociological effects of kissing?" Proxima added to Nila. "Make sure you're careful with your sources. You know what your father doesn't want you looking at." Nila considered a moment, then nodded and headed out the door with a little backward wave. "I don't know what we'd do without her," sighed Proxima as she closed the door. 

Corvus looped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. "Get laid without interruption?"

"You know it would have just been something else."

"I can dream." Corvus kissed his wife's cheek, then her mouth when she turned in his arms. "Still interested?" he murmured.

"She kind of killed the mood," Proxima sighed. "Want to go shopping instead?"

Corvus kissed her nose. "What kind of shopping?" When his wife gave him a slow, dangerous grin, he smirked. "Oh, I like it when you smile like that. Makes me all tingly." He ran a fingertip over her horn and murmured, "Tell me more."

* * *

Corvus snuggled up behind his wife as they flipped through the menu. "Mmm," he hummed in her ear and tapped a page. "That one looks good. What do you think?"

Proxima tilted her head. "I like a little more meat on the bone," she answered. "It scares me when you can see their ribs like that."

"We can always fix that," Corvus chuckled and bounced her back into his lap. "I mean, these are just the previews. I doubt very highly they're going to refuse a meal or three if we offer."

"No," Proxima said as she slowly shook her head. "No, most of these are too young still. If we're going to spend money, I'd rather someone older."

"True." 

She turned a few more digital pages, then stopped. "Oooo."

Corvus sat up straighter, his eyes widening. "You like her? I like her." He looked quickly from his wife's face to the image in the catalog and back. "Oh, please, baby."

Proxima looked over her shoulder and smirked. "I'm liking the sound of that..." Corvus met her eyes and licked his lips nervously. She reached back to stroke his face. "Let's put in an order for room service and take a peek, shall we?" Her husband followed her hand with a soft sound in his throat, his eyes sinking shut. "Wait right here," she whispered and kissed his forehead before turning back to the catalog and tapping a few controls. "I need to get into something more comfortable," Proxima said as she stood from the desk and walked to the cabinet of clothes. 

"Keep up the teasing and I won't last until delivery," Corvus growled. He stood up to follow her, put his hands on her hips and drew her back against him. "What have you got in mind?"

"For what?"

"Comfort. And for the order, I guess." Corvus dropped his chin to Proxima's shoulder and snuffled against her neck. 

She brushed him away with an amused sound and shed her shirt and pants before selecting a negligee of mostly translucent silk and lace. She looked over her shoulder and grinned when Corvus grunted, his eyes slitted and his hands moving restlessly. "I would like to see how receptive she is," she said as she pulled the sheer garment over her head and disentangled the straps from her horns. "What did you have in mind?"

Corvus shrugged. "Watching, mostly. I do love to watch you play."

"Aww," Proxima pouted. "Not going to help?"

"Well, when you ask like that," he murmured and smiled as she leaned up to kiss him. An alert at the door cut their embrace short and Corvus growled softly in his throat, anticipation making his eyes darker. "That was quick."

"Excellent service is worth the price," purred Proxima as she went to answer the door. She signed for the delivery and accepted the slave girl's leash from the Kree escort. As the escort vanished, she drew the woman into their room and closed the door after her. "What are you called, lovely?"

"Rian," the girl said without raising her eyes from the floor. "Item number 57293."

"Rian," repeated Proxima and hearing her name seemed to startle the girl as she lifted her head and stared when Proxima smiled at her. "You can't tell me you haven't had customers who prefer the personalization," she said softly, brushing Rian's dark hair back from her face. 

"You're my first customer," Rian said.

"She's a terrible liar, wife." Corvus stalked around Rian and gave her a long, slow stare that made her rusty-colored skin pale to almost the color of dry terra cotta. 

"I'm not lying," Rian said and lifted her chin when Corvus came closer. He took her face in one hand, turned her by the chin one way, then the other. 

"First today, maybe," he snorted. "Or first this week."

"She's new," Proxima murmured and freed Rian's face from her husband's grip. "Be nice. I'd hate to break her so soon." Corvus snorted and stalked to the other side of the room, turning a chair to face out into the room and settled on it with his legs crossed at the ankle in front of him. "Truly," Proxima whispered to Rian. "We're your first?"

"No," Rian admitted in a small voice. "They passed me around in the brothel before K'terr bought me."

"But your first for K'terr." Rian nodded and Proxima smiled. "Good." She tugged on the leash until Rian followed her to the bed, then tied a loop in the fabric and dropped it over the bedpost. "Lie down." Rian obeyed without a word, stretched out on her back until Proxima waved a finger in a circular motion, then rolled onto her belly. "Good girl. She takes direction well," she said to Corvus, who nodded. Proxima reached down and flipped Rian's simple sheath dress up to examine the backs of her thighs and buttocks. She grunted and looked at Corvus, who frowned and stood to join her. "She's bruised."

"It's old bruising," Rian protested in a soft voice. "I'm still fresh."

Proxima sighed and shook her head. "No, it's no good. Sit up." Reluctantly, Rian rolled back up and sat on the edge of the bed, her head low and her expression ashamed. Proxima ran her hand gently under the girl's chin and lifted her face to meet her eyes. "Has K'terr hurt you?" Rian's expression was lost and puzzled for a moment until something clicked and then she stared openly, first at Proxima and then at Corvus, who was watching her with the same close scrutiny. 

"Yes," Rian said softly. 

Proxima exhaled sharply through her nose and her eyes sparked dangerously. "Mark him, dear. Make sure he knows why."

"Yes, my love." Corvus kissed her temple lightly before turning away to the communicator. 

"I... I don't understand," Rian whispered.

"Anyone who treats his slaves poorly won't be getting repeat business from us," Proxima told her in a low voice. "Nor will he be receiving his slave back." She stood up and unlooped the leash from the bedpost before extending it out toward Rian. "In fact, he will be finding himself rather suddenly out of business and trying to learn to breath vacuum." When Rian didn't reach for her leash, Proxima sighed and wiggled it insistently. "Take it, child. You're free."

Rian took the length of braided fabric and stared at it in her hands, her expression puzzled. "Now what do I do?" she whispered and Proxima bit her lip at the helplessness in the girl's voice. "Thanos killed my family and half my planet. I have nothing to go back to. The Kree scavenged us afterward."

Proxima was quiet for a long time until Corvus returned and put a hand on her hip. "Dear?"

"Do you think our lord will take exception to another mouth to feed?" she said softly.

Corvus raised his eyebrows and glanced from Proxima to the slave girl on the bed. "You want to keep her? You're turning into Dwarf."

Proxima smiled, a gentle expression that didn't quite seem to fit her features naturally. Her dark eyes flicked up to meet his and she murmured, "Maybe he's rubbing off on me."

Corvus snorted. "Move, girl," he said abruptly to Rian, who squeaked and scrambled for the other side of the room. Corvus scooped his wife up and onto the bed, pinned her down and kissed her until she started to breathe irratically and her hands were clutching at his shirt. "The only thing I want rubbing off on you," he growled in her ear, "is me." Proxima laughed as her husband kissed her again and Rian blushed her way into a guest cabinet and closed the door. 


End file.
